Birds. 921 



The Partridge is tolerably abundant, I believe, over the whole 

 island. I once witnessed a curious instance of the pairing in public 

 of this bird. I had heard of the rook, the heron, and the starling, but 

 not of the partridge, meeting in grave assembly to choose and be cho- 

 sen. What I am about to relate occurred in 1837. I was at that 

 time chaplain to the county gaol of Hereford ; and resided about a 

 mile out of the town. While on my way to do duty between nine and 

 ten, one Sunday morning in February, my attention was arrested by 

 unusual sounds issuing from the rising ground to the left of the road. 

 I clambered up the hedge-bank, and observed, at about one hundred 

 yards distance, partridges to the number of twenty-one, arranged in 

 very nearly a circle. The clamour they made, very unlike anything 

 I ever heard before or since to proceed from partridge throat, was 

 sufficient to stop every passer by. I thought I could distinguish one 

 voice as if haranguing the assembly, which was occasionally inter- 

 rupted by this strange chorus. After some minutes' wonderment on 

 my part, and on the part of sundry other persons who had joined me, 

 a partridge, gentleman I presume, crossed the circle, and accompa- 

 nied by, I have no doubt, the lady of his choice, left the assembly, 

 running off at full speed to the adjoining hedge-row. This was fol- 

 lowed by the most uproarious applause of the matrimonial conclave. 

 There was no longer any doubt as to the purpose for which they had 

 assembled ; and I waited with no little interest to see the result. 

 There was a renewed chirruping, as if another speech was being de- 

 livered, or, as if a second youthful pair was receiving a matrimonial 

 charge from some grave sire or matron of the party ; and presently 

 the second pair went off as I have described the first pair to go, their 

 departure being accompanied as before by the most rapturous ap- 

 plause. The same process was gone through till five or six pairs had 

 severally disappeared ; when, upon a general shout being raised, the 

 rest of the assembly broke up, each gentleman and lady going off in 

 different directions, though I could not detect what became of the 

 odd bird — the dowager possibly — I had previously counted. This 

 was clearly a case of matrimonial alliance formed in public. It de- 

 tained me from my duty full twenty minutes. On mentioning the cir- 

 cumstance to a friend in the course of the following week, he wittily 

 remarked, that possibly they were anticipating the new marriage-act, 

 which was to come into operation on the first day of the ensuing 

 month. 



I once witnessed, too, the strength of attachment of the partridge 

 for its young. Many years ago, when residing in Monmouthshire, 

 iii 3 E 



