The Common Partridge 113 
brown Partridge. Wherever and at whatever season we see his scurrying form and hear 
his cheery call he is always a certain attraction to the landscape, even more so than 
the gaudy pheasant, for he is our very own, and is cherished for his beauty and 
innocence, even if his claims as a bird of the chase were insignificant. Our fields and 
hedgerows would be bare indeed without his presence, for no other bird quite fills the 
place of the Common Partridge. It is lovable because it is always with us. As I sit 
in my study writing this, I can hear the Partridge cocks that have just paired shouting 
gentle defiance to other males in the fields beyond, and their merry voices blend with 
all the charming calls of birds proclaiming the English spring. I do not shoot in one 
field in front of my house just because I like to see and hear the Partridges, and 
they are always there to gladden the snowy days of winter, the lush greens of spring, 
or the golden days of autumn. A comparison of birds is just as odious as any other 
comparison. The Partridge is not less popular in England than the grouse in 
Scotland, and each is respected by peer and peasant alike, apart from the fact that they 
give work to thousands of men. 
By nature the Partridge may be described as a fairly hardy species. Our climate 
is so variable that it is unusual to experience more than a few weeks of frost and 
snow, and unless much protracted the severities of winter are felt but little by the 
birds. In certain localities, such as the north-east of Scotland, the struggle for 
existence is serious ; but in this respect Partridges seem to suffer less than grouse, 
although they are not so hardy a bird. In fact, excessive drought or humidity in 
summer has more to do with the welfare of Partridges than winter cold, as it is the 
young which are the most affected in their earlier stages. 1 All attempts to introduce 
Partridges into new areas where there is some cultivation are not successful, but under 
reasonable conditions they can be induced to flourish in almost any place in our 
islands, provided a few broad rules for their maintenance are observed. As is the case 
with all game, preliminary attempts are nearly always failures ; for it is necessary to 
follow up by a constant supply of fresh birds, spread over, say, two years, before we 
can say for certain whether the introduction will be a failure or not. This is the view 
of nearly every game preserver who has had practical experience. 
Partridges are on the whole adaptable birds and will soon acclimatise themselves to 
new conditions, provided there is some sort of food that is agreeable to them. I have, 
however, known coveys of Partridges that remained on moorlands, and even about bogs 
in Scotland, which they never left, even to fly to highly cultivated fields of light soil 
only one mile distant. They are, it is true, a deteriorated race, but seem quite con- 
tent with a life that might be only fitted for a snipe. At Murthly, on the edge of the 
" Big Bog," there were always two or three coveys amongst the rushes about the 
swamp, in the midst of a moor of 500 acres, and these Partridges were never seen to 
stray at any season. A diet of insects, grass, fruits, heather, and rush seeds seemed 
all sufficient. 
The main cause of the decrease of Partridges in districts that are suitable to their 
habits, and where they have once been numerous, is the destruction of suitable nesting- 
1 Nevertheless, numbers of adult Partridges die in August and September from inflammation of the lungs, doubtless 
due to the contact of wet ground, when their breasts are almost denuded of feathers. 
P 
