✓ 



In the Neighbourhood of Salisbury. 175 



palate, and sport in the field — our English Partridge must certainly 

 be awarded the prize in both the two last-named points ; and if one 

 of the two species had to be expatriated the French bird would 

 certainly be the one to be sent into exile. Indeed many a sportsman 

 has regretted its introduction from across the Channel, and has 

 done his best to exterminate them from off his property. The great 

 drawback in connection with this bird is its well-known habit of 

 running before the dogs or beaters, topping the further hedge of 

 the field almost as soon as you are in it yourself, and by its restless- 

 ness disturbing other birds as well. Notwithstanding, the plumage 

 of this species is so exceedingly pleasing, that one cannot help being 

 glad that it has become domesticated amongst us. They are in no 

 way numerous in this district ; in fact it is rather an unusual thing 

 to meet with them, though a pair crop up here and there in un- 

 expected places. There was a pair seen in the parish in 1876, one 

 of which was killed, but this is the only instance of its occurring 

 here, as far as I am aware of, for the last thirteen years since I have 

 been here. There was another killed during the same year in the 

 neighbourhood of Warminster ; though there also they are but little 

 known. A single bird was caught at Mere, in the yard of the Ship 

 Inn, by Mr. J. Coward, on April 11th, 1874, having apparently 

 taken refuge there from a Hawk ; but the cases of its occurrence- 

 round here seem isolated and infrequent. A year or two ago the 

 keepers were driving in the game into the Clarendon Woods, pre- 

 vious to a day's shooting, and a pair of these birds commenced 

 running before the beaters, as run they will, until they were run 

 down, and caught alive. It was a drenching day, and their plumage 

 apparently got so soaked that at last they lost the opportunity of 

 using their wings at all, one stretch of which might have landed 

 them in safety, thus affording an illustration of the old adage : — ■ 



" He that will not when he may, 

 When he will he shall have na}*"," 



for at last they could not rise, and are now perpetuated in the- 

 keeper's cottage. A curious incident connected with these birds- 

 occurred near Bath not long ago. A few years back my brother 

 was shooting at Holt, near Bradford, when he sprang an old cock 



