CHAPTER IV 
PARTRIDGES 
Their popularity and thrift—Their comparative scarcity—How they 
are persecuted—Thoughtless shooters—Partridges pay for atten- 
tion—Birds in bad weather—Poverty of their food compared 
to that of pheasants—Value of artificial feeding—Destruction of 
nests—Cheap nesting cover—Coverts—Why always pheasants ? 
—Dogs and nests—Faults of partridges—Farmers and com- 
pensation—A health to the bonny brown birds ! 
TuereE is scarcely an acre in the whole country— 
with the exception, of course, of the brick-and- 
mortar department—on which plenty of partridges 
could not make a living if they were allowed to 
try; there is scarcely a shoot on which there are 
absolutely no partridges, and there are very few 
shoots on which partridges receive a tithe of the 
encouragement they deserve. And partridges surely 
deserve every encouragement, in view of their 
thrifty habits, their industry, their heroic efforts to 
greet September with a smile, no matter how bad 
a breeding season they have had to put up with; 
and, above all, in view of their superb abilities for 
providing real sport in so many ways, both for rich 
and poor. Because of their many points of all- 
36 
