145 



Partridges. 



preferred; but in view of the fact that if hand-reared 

 partridge chicks be given ants' eggs mainly from the 

 start, they may reject their other food offered them at a 

 later date, it is necessary to commence with a mixture of 

 the insect food if available and such other as may be 

 determined upon. This may take the form partly of the 

 custard already described, and either lettuce, chickweed, or 

 groundsel, chopped finely, the unripe seed of the plaintain, 

 rice broken small and lightly boiled, and very small 

 quantities of any small bird seeds. The best way is to 

 make a thin custard with fewer eggs, that is and add 

 the other food and ants' eggs in equal proportions until it 

 is fairly dry, and of about the consistence of fresh bread- 

 crumbs. Any one or two of the green foods will suffice, 

 and in the absence of the insect food Spratt's " Crissel " 

 or good desiccated meat, ground or pounded very small, 

 will prove very good substitutes. The food formula for 

 young partridges for the first week stands as follows : 



(i) Ants' eggs or desiccated meat ... 8 parts. 



Thin custard 16 ,, 



Green food 12 ,, 



Millet seed 8 ,, 



Canary-seed 8 ,, 



Linseed or rapeseed 8 ,, 



Boiled rice 4 ,, 



64 parts. 



For the first week or ten days the young chicks require 

 feeding every three hours, commencing an hour after day- 

 light and finishing an hour before sundown. This will 

 give five feeds a day to commence with, to be reduced to 

 four, and eventually to three when the birds are three 

 weeks to a month old. 



