32 
NEVER DOMESTICATED. 
distributed througliont England, none more frequently 
brought into contact with man, and yet none more really and 
essentially fera natura. A wild, shy creature, that never can 
be domesticated, and yet one sees it, or hears of it, continually. 
We say never; for the instances in which it has been induced 
to become at all tame and familiar are so few, in proportion 
to the attempts that have been made to reclaim the bird 
from its wild state, that they can scarcely be cited but as 
rare exceptions to a rule. We believe that the bird 
has been known in only two or three instances to breed in 
confinement, and this is the grand test of thorough domes- 
tication. And yet the Partridge, so wild and shy in' its 
nature, selects for its haunts the most highly-cultivated 
parts of the country, and seems to increase in exact propor- 
tion to the care and attention bestovv^ed on the tillage of 
the soil. This is a very curious circumstance, and one, we 
believe, without parallel in the history of any of the animals 
indigenous to our islands, as the Partridge is. Wherever 
cover is found, and but moderate protection is afforded, 
there will this highly-valued bird increase and multiply ; 
as Mr. Morris observes in his beautiful volume on 
* British Game Birds and Wild Fowl,' it only wants * fair 
play ' to do so to almost any desired extent. But fair play 
it is not likely to get, whilt5 it is in such high request as an 
article of luxurious diet; and its destruction, both legal 
and illegal, will go on at a rate that must keep down its 
numbers, however prolific and hardy the bird may be. 
The flesh of no game bird is so delicate, and free from the 
strong and peculiar flavour to which many object, as that 
of the Partridge ; hence its universal relish and estimation. 
According to an ancient couplet, it is but one point short 
of perfection : — 
If the Partridge had the Woodcock's thigh, 
It would be the best bird that ever did fly. 
The old pastoral poet, William Browne, we may remem- 
ber, recommends the flesh of this bird served up with gold 
and pearl dust — no doubt, a figure of speech, intended to 
show his high estimation of this kind of food. Perhaps, 
like Dominico, the harlequin of Louis XIV., we should 
