PARTRIDGE. 93 



frequently, particularly the young birds of the year, which are 

 very much infested with vermin. 



The Partridge offers a lesson to mankind, although its cha- 

 racter is not generally further contemplated than by the anti- 

 cipation of the pleasure of killing it, or feasting upon its 

 flesh. Beginning by the pairing season, the Partridge, after 

 having chosen its mate, remains attached to her for life: when 

 they have a young brood, the male bird keeps a continual 

 watch for the safety of a family that very rarely indeed fall 

 out among themselves, while the fond mother leads them to 

 their food ; and this family, which is called a covey, spend all 

 their time in the most sociable manner, until the next spring- 

 separates them in pairs ; and if a single bird happens, by the 

 luckless chance of natural consequences, to be left a lonely 

 survivor of a covey, the family spoken of gladly takes the 

 wanderer in, and allows him to enjoy their company and 

 the benefit of warmth during cold nights, by sharing their 

 bed with him. It is not very practicable to keep Par- 

 tridges in confinement, for their nature requires food of 

 many descriptions, according to the season, and a single 

 given piece of ground cannot produce them. Gamekeepers 

 sometimes set common hens on Partridges'' eggs for the stock- 

 ing of preserves ; but, considering that the eggs must first be 

 stolen to enable them to do so, the honesty of the proceeding 

 is somewhat questionable. 



The favourite food of the Partridge consists of insects, 

 although vegetable matter, seeds, and grain are also eaten 

 by them in their proper season ; ants and their larvse are de- 

 voured by this bird whenever it can get them, also every 

 kind of small beetles, grasshoppers, earwigs, flies, spiders, 

 &c, and the larvse of all of them. Particularly fond are 

 Partridges of the maggots that are found in turnips, 

 late in the autumn and winter. During the time when the 

 corn is standing, the Partridge does not feed upon the 



