and generally a field of thick grass, clover, or green corn,' is
the'situation chosen : the eggs, from seven to ten in number,,
are produced in the middle of Ju n e ;.th ey are of a pale:red-:
dish white, spotted and' speckled with ash grey and pale red
brown ; one inch six lines in length, by one inch and one
line in breadth. Daniels says, that in 1808, as; some : men
were mowing grass ^ upon a little island belonging to the fishing
water of Low Bells,'on Tweed, they eut the head, from
a Com Crake»4 that -^as sitting: upon eleven eggs: about
twenty yards from this spotr, they had nearly- dbstroyfed a
Partridge in a similar way, which was sitting upon eighteen
eggs ; but,-observing her,-4he mowers took the eggs-from the
nest of the Com' Crakej and put them intp^thaf of *the Partridge.
Two days after-ishe brought-out the whole broody
running jabout the island. - The; Partridge
catered for them !all, and-was^ob'servedijitt, gather- her numerous
family 'under her vungs.without'any- difej^etion. s If&hg1
Landrails am at -first covered? with black - down/ buto:se:©nX:aGa
quire their first feathers, and, according-hl^Mr. SeMyih observation,
are afele^ to fly in about six’weeks* r><
During the early part of the Partridge'^shooting-season. in:
this .country» fflahy_Landrails . are'- killed by sportsmen, who,
-after the barley is cut, find:r^hemr. most frequently in^seed
This bird :deek not'tdkfe wing;vCry readily, and -flits
but slowly, with itSsdegs* hanging down, seldom going farther
than the nearest hedge, or othe¥%overt, in which i t ’ can hide
itself ; and is rarely- flushed! a * second -time, uMeif|| pressed
upon'by ..a» A g , that, following its—footsteps correctly and
rapidly,' can thus get close ’ up :fo the bird. Landrails ure
Considered most, delicate as articles of food, and im such: high
estimation, that two Landrails are said to he a present for
a queen. Drayton; of old, highly valued the Rayle, which,
liesay g “ seldom" 'comes but upon' rich' mens’- spits.’’ The
usual weight of a Landrail is • about six ouiices; lujt I have
«een . one instance, and heard of another, in which this bird
weighed eight ounces and a half. Pennant mentions one
that weighed eight ouhces. •
Mr. Jesse, in his; remarks oh this bird, says, “ I have met
-with an incident in the Natural History of the- Com-Crake
which I believe is perfectly accuraté, having been informed
th a t. the bird will put on the semblance of death when exposed
to danger , from whièh i t us unable to escape. The - incident
was this :—A gentleman had a Com Crake brought to
him bythis-:'dog;'¥tG^li appearance quite dead. - As it lay on
the'ground, hé turned it over with his foot, and was convinced
that it was dead. Standing'by, however, in silence, he suddenly
saw if -.opén an->eyeb? He then took it u p ; its head
fell; itsTegs hung loom, and it appeared again. quite.dead.
5le:'theM put' it in his pockety and before long.-.heiifelt it all
alive, and-struggling to escape. He then toók it o u t; it was
as lifeless asr, before. Having laid it again upon the ground -
and retired -to • some, distance,* the bird in-about five minutes
warily raised its head, looked round, and decamped at full
speed. - I havé*, keen a similar circumstance? take place with •
a Partridge, arid it :is well-known that many insects- will prac?
Jise the same] deception;, I have-also observed it in that
purioué marine- animal, , the; sea-mouse,, Aphroditd aculeatai
They^prohably congregate before they migrate,- as I am assured'that'a
considerable' n umbel were, on one occasion, seen
together hear the..séa-shoré.in the neighbourhood; óf Swansea,
about the-time they usually take their departure from this
country.”
, The Rev; Robert Holdsworthwrote: me word that he has
been at the killing óf thirteen : couple in.'one day, in Devonshire,
in the month. of September.
lit Seine years since,; two sportsmen while partridge-shooting
during the third week of September, in thé .'neighbourhood of
Battle, only a few miles from ; the coast in Sussex, killed