106 
PARTRIDGES. 
the New World. We shall give Captain Head’s 
lively description of two varieties, the larch and 
spruce Partridges, which he met with in his expedi- 
tion into the interior, near Lake Huron. 
u Early in the Spring,” he says, “ they make their 
appearance in the pine-woods, welcomed by the soli- 
tary back-settlers, not only as harbingers of return- 
ing warmth, but as an agreeable addition to their 
stock of provisions, and a source of amusement. At 
first, when the snow still covers the ground, they are 
easily tracked, though by no means easily discovered 
in the trees, on which these two species invariably 
perch. They run for a considerable distance from 
their pursuers, before they rise, turning backwards 
and forwards, and round and round, twisting about 
the trees in such a manner as to make it difficult to 
follow up the foot-marks, and but for the assistance 
of dogs familiar with the sport, the keenest eye is 
often foiled.” Captain Head thus describes his first 
meeting with one of these birds : — 
“The snow in the woods was crisp from the 
night’s frost, and the sun was just rising in a clear 
sky, when the marks of game attracted my notice^ 
and my spaniel at the same time evinced the most 
eager interest and curiosity in the pursuit, quartering 
the ground from right to left. After walking about 
half an hour, he suddenly quested, and on going up 
to him, I found him at the edge of a swamp, among 
a clump of white cedar-trees, to one of which he 
had evidently tracked some description of bird ; for 
he was looking steadfastly up into the tree, and 
barking with the utmost eagerness. I looked atten- 
tively, but nothing whatever could I discover. I 
