TIMIDITY OF THE PARTRIDGE. 385 



appearance of danger the male utters a cry of alarm, which warns 

 the young ones, and enjoins them to seek concealment. Drooping 

 his wings in order to induce the intruder to follow him, he pretends 

 to be unable to fly. At the same time the female proceeds in 

 another direction ; and, alighting at some distance off, she runs back 

 to her family, reassembles them, and leads them to a place of 

 security, where they are soon joined by the male bird. The above 

 is one of the ingenious stratagems by which the young brood is 

 protected. 



Some weeks after they are hatched the young Partridges are able 

 to fly, and to provide for their own wants, but they do not now leave 

 their parents, but continue to live with them in the closest alliance 

 until February or March, when they pair off. 



Partridges are of a shy and timid nature, which shows itself in 

 many ways. Nor are their suspicious fears unjustifiable, when it is 

 remembered how numerous are their foes, for foxes and birds of 

 prey make continual and unsparing havoc amongst them : the latter 

 especially are particularly dreaded. At the mere sight of one of the 

 falcon tribe, a partridge is so overcome with fear as almost to be 

 incapable of concealing itself, and it is not until the dreaded enemy 

 is gone that it regains self-possession. 



When a bird of prey unsuccessfully dashes at a partridge in cover, 

 no power is able to make it take wing, and any one can then lay 

 hands on it without difficulty. A partridge has even been known 

 to prefer dying in its hiding-place from suffocation to exposing itself 

 to the mercies of its pursuer. 



The knowledge of these facts has suggested a very simple and 

 effectual method of making partridges which are wild remain on the 

 ground without flushing, till the sportsman is within gun-shot. This 

 is done by frightening them with an artificial bird of prey, attached 

 to the tail of a kite, which is flown over them. 



Notwithstanding their wild nature, Partridges are susceptible of 

 domestication, and, with care and gentleness, they may be rendered 

 very tame. Girardin relates that a Grey Partridge, reared by a Car- 

 thusian, became so familiar that it followed its protector about like a 

 dog. Willoughby states that an inhabitant of the county of Sussex 

 succeeded in taming a whole covey of Partridges, and was in the 

 habit of driving them before him like a flock of geese. Tournefort 

 relates that formerly, in the Isle of Chio, flocks of Red-legged Par- 

 tridges were reared which allowed themselves to be driven about in 

 exactly the same way ; and Sonini speaks of two Red-legged Par- 

 tridges which an inhabitant of Aboukir had managed to tame. All 



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