6012 



Birds. 



where the spine is, by the bird's actions, at once seen to be injured, 

 the shot that inflicted the injury, or indeed another, raay have also 

 penetrated or injured the lower portion of the heart. But even when 

 the spine is not at once seen to have sustained injury, 1 think that 

 from the upward effort just before the fall there is evidence of an 

 affection of the brain, such as would be produced by lesion of 

 some immediately connected parts, e,g, the spinal chord. If this sug- 

 gestion be right the occasional bleeding at the mouth is easily ac- 

 counted for; the shot that inflicted the fatal injury passed on into the 

 lungs, and hence the haemorrhage at the bill. 



I am the more inclined to suppose my hypothesis raay be well 

 founded from the actions, often to be observed, of a bird shot in the 

 head, so that the brain is obviously injured, while great vigour of 

 action is still left to the sufferer. I have many times observed a par- 

 tridge thus wounded fall, generally, but not by any means invariably, 

 to the shot; but on going to pick it up it has taken wing again, and 

 flown upwards in much the same aimless manner as the towering bird 

 does, only not so high, and then again come to the ground with con- 

 siderable violence. Such birds often require a second charge of shot 

 before they can be secured. 



The efforts of a wounded partridge to escape are very various, and, 

 for the most part, very energetic- I have sometimes known a winged 

 bird remain just where it fell; but whenever it took place it was in 

 strong cover, such as the ling on the moor, in which locomotion was 

 not easy. Occasionally the bird seems to be so much astonished by 

 its fall that it remains for a space without moving, although the sur- 

 face it lies upon is quite bare and unsuggestive of concealment; but 

 usually they take to their legs immediately, and seek the nearest 

 covert available. I have seen them take refuge in the holes of our 

 dry stone walls, in holes scratched by rabbits, at the entrances of 

 drams, under the overhanging banks of a water-course, among the 

 roots of a tree, as well as in thick herbage or dense coverts ; but they 

 do not seem willing to go far into a hole or drain, not beyond reach 

 of a man's arm, — probably deterred by the want of light before them 

 and the unknown terrors of the dark. 1 have seen them, after being 

 brought by the dog out of water, on accidentally escaping take to the 

 water again, and perhaps seek the same hiding-place from which the 

 dog had just before taken them. In the turnip or potato field they 

 do not, unless much hurt in addition to the broken wing, seem to 

 seek any definite place of shelter or concealment, but keep on the 

 move, though it may be in a rather desultory manner; and thus they 



