143 



Partridges. 



In such case, where Hungarian birds are employed, the 

 mode of dealing with them is somewhat different, and 

 will be described later on. 



The introduction of partridges may furthermore be 

 made by acquiring eggs and hatching them out under hens. 

 From a pecuniary point of view this is usually the most 

 satisfactory mode, while the successful rearing of some 

 few dozen of young birds would provide a nucleus of a 

 future large stock. It is, however, a process involving a 

 considerable amount of trouble, but the ordinary preserver 

 has his keepers and can breed the birds fairly easily, and 

 rear them with ordinary attention. Some keepers seem to 

 consider the hand-rearing of partridges rather beneath 

 them, and fight shy of anything short of pheasants. 



Of course, partridge-rearing is rarely as extensive a 

 business as the production of a stock of pheasants, except 

 upon the big preserves to which reference has been made. 

 There is this, moreover, to be remembered, that once a 

 fairly good stock of partridges has been worked up, they 

 will, unless under the effect of bad seasons, maintain 

 themselves at such level without any great extraneous 

 assistance, whereas with pheasants the circumstances are 

 different, and each recurring year must witness repetition 

 of the same scheme of hand-rearing, &c., if the same 

 quantity of birds is looked for. For this reason, the 

 arrangements for the hand-rearing of partridges never 

 require to be on the same scale as those for the more 

 aristocratic game-bird. The hand-rearing of partridges 

 may be undertaken by the large preserver or the owner of 

 quite a small shoot. In either case, all the appliances for 

 the annual pheasant-breeding on hand can be utilised, if 

 available, or may be supplemented to meet the increased 

 requirements. 



The first step is the acquisition of eggs. These may be 



