This confirms what I have long believed, viz, that Partridges 
never injure either the trees or their crops of fruit, despite 
the popular impression (among the farmers especially) to the 
contrary. It is certainly a trifle difficult to understand 
why they do not do so, for on the morning when I watched 
the nine birds actively engaged in this particular tree, it 
seemed as if they could not be leaving many buds of any kind 
on the branches which they visited, 
[Two Bitterns were pumping to-night on Great Meadow. 
I find that I was in error in stating in my article in the 
April number of "Bird Lore" that the third syllable of the 
Bittern's pumping carries to the greatest distance. It is 
really the second, although when the bird is near at hand 
this note does not sound so loud as either of the other two >»J 
2Z 
