wards;— a disposition which instinct has" Suggested as ;the
best for observing the approach of any of. their MunieroUs
enemies, whatever may be - the direction, and thus-dicrease
their security by enabling them to avoid a surprise. In
the morning early they again visit the ■ stubble for a breakfast,
and pass the rest of the day as before. - ''Fields “©f clover
or turnips are very favourite places of resort during' the day.-
Many Partridges are annually reared from eggs that arc
found, or mowed out* in 'cutting «Moyer or grass,'“thebe': egga
being hatched under hens, f The young , birds shouldpfe fed
with ants-eggs, curd, grits.; small grain, when the^birds are
old enough, and some vegetables.-? Partridges thus hatched
and reared become so tame as even to be troublesome, .run-,
ning close about the feet of those-who-are inbtfhe habit" of
supplying them'Several timlpldaily with- food ; and though
they live for years afterwards in an aviary, there is no recbrdl
as far as I am aware, that the Partridge has ^eVdr'ibred in
confinement. Dry summers fare . particularly favourable to
the breeding of Partridges ; White, in 'his .'Hist©|y of '-^efi-
borne, notes, that after the dry summers of 17-40 and 1741,
the Partridges swarmed to such a degree, that unreasonable'
sportsmen killed twenty, and sometimes- thirty- brace in a
day. . This, however, is but lnoderate'Jsp^ft''^^s®me that
might be quoted. T. W . Coke, Esq. (now Ear! ofi-Leices-
ter) on the 7th of October, 1797,1 upon his manor at War-
ham, and within a mile’s circumference, bagged fortynBrace
of Partridges in eight hours, at ninety-three shots, every bird
was killed singly; the day before, on the same ground, he
killed twenty-two, brace and a half in three hours.'
A more recent match, as recorded in Pierce Egan’s Anecdotes,
and in the Naturalist’s Library, affofds still. further
proof of the abundance of the Partridge, and the excess to
which the sport may be carried. This was a bet, between
Mr. William Coke and Lord Kennedy, for two hundred
sopjieigns or pay, who shot and bagged the
,gi;eateXt^i^imb^ »of Partridges.' in two days’ sporting ; both
parties* jJo\ishf^fc! on the* same- days, —- namely, the 26th of
simple saber and the 4 th the Skme season, 1823*
Mr. |ViJJiam? Cokc^f1 >sport; upon his me^ I ^ s manors in Nor-
and Lord Kfeii^Iglin any part of Scotland he pleased'.,
j.rJyhp result of Mr. Cokefe/ fi©4>fda||ti shooting was eighty and
a-,-hal^$tac_©^bird's’,ibagged-«'«On Saturday, October 4th,
Mr. Wl^dyd lto n k t h ^ ^ | | | | after»' six o’clock in the
hlf was accompanied by4l^^unCle^T. W: Cojkbf
gppf’:. M.P ^'and^by^ll^- iim p k e^4 ^ ^d ^ fe Dixon for Mr.
^qketrjhnd Blunfy^^ ^j for» L^d«Senfi#df^;falS®>^by
two* dfeM4 fr.i^ ^ ^.SlB-;HJfeddideMe. Bart.'and F. HoIp§i
^.ke/'Esq.*' He was.attendgd b^geveraLg;ajt^e|)iers, and
Kr%nc i^ ^ |ily ,^ ? > ^ |i’,e|k up thefiganteb& Several re^pebtablfe
lunteer'^dv 'theik#|abours -in aM&fwg
toffiitrfor gaffe,; anditrend^^fc^S^^ia’h 'SgrviceSth'reuglLout
the May. ovCiT •pafeWofethfr W-igt.©B! and
.jFh^MoJningyaislif^^^and tile turn ip s
MefC.'sofewq^M# thefffeds wouffdvI*4^^|i^among^thenat<^| very
little execution was done!, in In early part
of-the day^;$jfin dhe' «first -two '%^urs only six brace-of .birds
Jfjfre ^bagged. T ie -day cleared up after eight ^oaelofck, and
«theVsportsman amply .-made up ||gr his lost timJH Hefouhd
plentiful amohg Mr. Denn^S fine- crop of turnips on
jjpjC' Egmere farm: and i-n a ‘d®e::ancht-wenty acre piece' of
Swedes, £h& -bagged, thir'ty-fi4e%nd a half brace iof-birds. He
plnclnded his day’S|gsp^fe;so®h ;after six -ih-the.* evening, and
had then bagged eight|C-eyght-brace. of birds, and five Pheasants
; but a dispute having arisen among the .umpires about
one bird, Colonel Dixon- §SVe the point up, and the number
was ultimately declared to be feigbty^even and a half brace
of birds bagged, Pheasants and other game not being counted
in the match ; so that Mr. W . Coke’s number of birds bagged
1 2