The Partridges 97 



This handsome and sprightly species, while a 

 persistent runner, has been compelled to furnish 

 much excellent sport. It is a haunter of canons, 

 brushy slopes, and fields, and its pursuit may be 

 best described as continued and rapid skirmishing 

 by the sportsman afoot. Dogs are practically use- 

 less for work on this aggravating bird. I have 

 never seen it lie to a point — that is, after the 

 manner of Bob-white. In certain cover, scat- 

 tered birds occasionally do so, but a safe rule for 

 the man who owns a good dog is to leave that 

 dog at home when the quarry is the California 

 partridge. 



In spite of many glowing descriptions of the 

 delights of skirmishing behind these nimble-footed 

 small rascals, I am firmly convinced that they are 

 greatly overdrawn, as I am that on foot, on the 

 wing,' and on the board, L. californicus is un- 

 worthy of mention in comparison with Bob-white. 

 I am ready to admit that the bustling of these birds 

 from clump to clump is jolly good fun ; that the 

 chase, for that is what it amounts to, has a charm 

 peculiar to itself ; that the shooting of the bird is 

 fairly difficult, under the conditions, — but beyond 

 that I will not go. To rank this partridge, as 

 some have, with Bob-white, is an absurdity — 

 indeed, any comparison is an absurdity because 

 of the totally different conditions. Sometimes, 

 however, L. californicus will behave as though he 



