PARTRIDGE REARING 
T hose who are fortunate enough to own or lease a partridge 
shooting naturally take the greatest interest in the success of 
the nesting and hatching operations. Most partridges’ nests 
are hatched off a week before, or after Midsummer day; they 
must have fine weather in June and July, or all is over for that 
season. Many are the anxious inquiries during the latter part 
of June, when a series of untimely thunderstorms cause as much concern 
to the future host as they do to the farmer who is hard at work saving 
his hay. A bad partridge year often means a disastrous hay and corn 
harvest. 
Some people may think the statement that partridges should be looked 
upon as the farmer’s friends rather a doubtful one, as in the early spring, 
when insect life above ground is practically non-existent, and there is little 
other food on which they can subsist, they certainly do use the young 
seed -grass fields a good deal, and select the heart of the young clover 
plants, occasionally doing an appreciable amount of damage. 
They also frequently do harm by pulling up the barley when first 
sprouting, but this cuts both ways, for they destroy an immense number 
of wire worms at the same time. Seed can be dressed with a preparation 
of tar, which, though harmless to them, the birds will not touch. 
This damage can be easily prevented if the owner or lessee will give 
orders to his keepers to scatter a few handfuls of dari and small corn 
under the sunny side of the hedges and dusting places, especially in hard 
weather. 
It is wonderful how quickly partridges will discover these feeding places; 
by carrying out this not very expensive plan, any friction that may have 
arisen with the farming tenant is likely to disappear. There is another 
advantage in thus feeding in hard weather, it tends to keep the breeding 
stock healthy and strong, and they will not be tempted to wander away 
over boundary fences. 
That partridges do move considerable distances in search of food, the 
following instance will show. A few seasons ago, on the estate of Mr Pear- 
son Gregory, of Harlexton Manor, Lincolnshire, a cock partridge with some 
white on the wing, could be easily recognized at a distance ; this bird, 
with his family, was observed two years running to shift his quarters 
for nearly two miles each autumn, though he invariably returned for 
mating and nesting in the following spring. 
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