Nesting Habits. 15 



ately together. The eggs were placed as though the nest 

 had been common to both." Another correspondent writes : 

 " About three weeks ago, when walking round a small wood 

 belonging to me, and in which I usually breed a good sprinkle 

 of pheasants, I discovered a partridge sitting on the edge of 

 the bank of the wood ; and when she went off to feed I was 

 much astonished to find that she was sitting on nine pheasant's 

 eggs and thirteen of her own, and, after sitting the usual 

 time, hatched them all out." Mr. R. Bagnall-Wild records 

 that " in June his keeper noticed three partridge nests 

 with thirteen, eleven, and eleven partridges' eggs and 

 four, two, and two pheasants' respectively in them. He 

 carefully watched, and in all three cases found that the 

 pheasants were hatched with the young partridges ; and in 

 September the young pheasants still kept with their respective 

 coveys of partridges." Sometimes the hen pheasant, and not 

 the partridge, is the foster parent. In the neighbourhood 

 of Chesham, on May 6, 1873, three pheasants' nests were 

 observed to contain the following eggs : the first, on which 

 the hen was sitting, twenty-two pheasants' and two French 

 partridge's eggs ; the second, eleven pheasant's and five French 

 partridge's eggs ; and the third, six pheasant's and seven 

 French partridge's eggs. Mr. W. D. Collins, of Cuckfield, 

 records the fact that he found a grey partridge sitting on twelve 

 of her own eggs, nine eggs of the red-legged partridge, and 

 nine pheasant's eggs, all the three species having laid in the 

 same nest. Mr. Higgins, of Hambledon. states that " A 

 pheasant hatched out, in a piece of vetches of mine, seven 

 partridges and five pheasants on July 6. She sat on nine of 

 her own eggs and eight partridge eggs." In some cases the 

 nest is even of a more composite character, and the eggs of the 

 common fowl and those of partridges and pheasants, have 

 all been found together ; and instances have been 

 recorded of wild hen pheasants laying in the nests of tame, 

 and also of wild ducks, and in the nests of the corncrake and 

 woodcock. 



