74 
THE COMMON PARTRIDGE. 
districts, the young are not more than half grown. 
The nest Is formed, or rather the spot where the eggs 
are to he deposited, is scraped out in some ready made 
hollow or furrow* or placed under cover of a tuft of 
grass, and from twelve to twenty eggs are deposited. 
This mode of nidification prevails through the whole 
genus. No nest is made, mid often no great cam 
of concealment is displayed. In cultivated countries 
the young grasses and corns are their favourite 
breeding places, the former often fatal from the hay- 
harvest having commenced before the brood is 
hatched. The choice of a place of security for their 
eggs is not always the same, for Montague mentions 
a pair which successively selected the top of an old 
pollard oak, and Mr Selhy writes of having known 
several parallel cases. It is a singular trait in the 
habits of many birds, that those often of a wild na- 
ture will select the most frequented parts for iheir 
nests. Both partridges and pheasants are often dis- 
covered with the nest placed within two or three 
feet of a highway or footpath, where there is a 
daily passage of men and animals. The parents, as 
if knowing their safety depended on sitting close, 
remain quiet amidst all the hustle, and often hatch 
in such places. 
During incubation the male sedulously attends, 
and will generally be found near if the female is in- 
truded upon by any of her less formidable enemies. 
When the brood is hatched, both lead about the young 
and assist them to their fuod ; and mild and timid 
