Concord, Mass.
1910.
April 21
(No 4)
[April 21, 1910]

Partridge "budding"

  She worked very busily for about 15 or 20 minutes,
pecking at the buds almost as fast as a hen picks
up corn and making, as nearly as I could average it,
about two pecks every three seconds. They were made
in every direction, straight up and down as well as
to all sides. Every minute or two the bird changed 
her perch, walking, sometimes, a yard or two among
the smaller twigs just as if she had been on the 
ground. When reaching for buds below her foothold
she would bend forward and downward with 
outstretched neck but I did not see the tail
cocked up above the line of the back as happened
with the birds observed at the Farm in March
eight or ten years ago. The Partridge seen tonight
called every few minutes krut, krut, kur-r-r, krur-r-r
in rather peevish tones. After finishing her supper she
flew down to the ground with a heavy fluttering sound &
I saw no more of her. It was then nearly dusk (7.05 P.M.)
I do not think the bird caught sight of me (I was behind a tree)
or even suspected my presence. During the whole time she
kept steadily at work never pausing to look about her as
far as I could see.