The Partridge has long been noticed for the great attach- 

 ment it fhews to its young, for the means it ufes to elude 

 purfuit, and to miflead the object intruding on its retirement ; 

 it leads its brood in the manner of the hen, and when arrived 

 at a fpot likely to produce their favourite food, the female 

 begins fcratching up the earth with its feet, at the fame time 

 pecking up any eatable particles me meets with; thefe me does 

 not fwallow, but places them before the young, and by re- 

 peatedly pecking, endeavours to inftrucl: them in the mode 

 they mould purfue to obtain food : the young ones are not 

 backward in receiving inftru&lon, as in a few hours they may 

 be obferved induftrioufly fearching for themfelves, at a fhort 

 diftance from the parent birds, and from time to time return- 

 ing to them for flicker and warmth. While thus engaged, 

 mould their privacy be broken in upon, the male utters a 

 piercing cry and they both take wing, the young brood imme- 

 diately creep under the firft tuft that offers, or more ufually 

 between clods of earth, and there await the return of the old 

 birds, who are occupied in endeavouring to take off the atten- 

 tion of the intruding party from the young to themfelves ; they 

 fly a fhort diftance, feeming to labour under exceffive fatigue 

 or weaknefs, and will fuddenly drop as if quite fpent, and 

 limp along, trailing their wings on the ground, and affect all 

 the appearance of a wounded bird : during the continuance of 

 thefe exertions, the female ufually withdraws and returns to 

 the relief of the young, which it affembles in an inftant by its 

 call ; the male continues the fame artifices for fome time after, 

 to give the female an opportunity of making good a retreat, 

 and then by a circuitous rout, haftens to the fpot lately occu- 

 pied by itfelf and brood, and by its cry makes known its 

 return. 



In 



