_Partridges_ require very little aid from man, provided only the common kind is desired. All that is necessary is, to prevent the hen from being disturbed while sitting, or while brooding over her young. May is the month in which the partridge generally lays her eggs, and, from that time till the end of June, care should be taken not to disturb her. "Partridges pair early in spring, and once united it is rare that any thing but death separates them." The female lays from fourteen to twenty eggs, and makes her nest upon the ground. The young one runs as soon as it is hatched, and frequently while it has still part of the shell upon its head. The hen partridge rears her young as a hen does her chickens, scratching the ground to get insects for them, and sheltering them under her wings while they are at rest. Partridges succeed best in temperate climates; for extremes of heat and cold are alike unfavourable to them. Partridges make a peculiar noise called jucking when they settle down for the night; when this noise is heard, it is a certain indication that there is a covey or brood of young birds close at hand. The _red-legged_, or _Guernsey, partridge_ is very abundant in France, and in many parts of the Continent; but it is rare in England, except in Suffolk, where it is not liked for the table. Its habits differ materially from those of the common partridge. It will only thrive in mountainous situations covered with wood; and, instead of roosting on the ground, it passes the night on trees. It is also generally found perched on trees in the daytime; and it lives in large flocks, and not in coveys consisting only of a single family. If you wish to try the experiment of rearing some of these birds, you have only to get fifteen or twenty of the eggs through some poulterer from France or Guernsey, or from Suffolk, and to set them under a common hen. They will be hatched in about the same time as pheasants, and the young birds require exactly the same treatment. I do not think I need say any thing of the other kinds of game birds common in England, as you are not very likely to go out shooting; and they are too wild to suffer themselves to be approached. _Hares_ may be occasionally seen lying in their forms, or scudding across a field; but they are too fond of pinks and carnations for me to be very partial to them; and, indeed, it is hardly possible to have a good flower-garden where there are a great many hares and rabbits. _Herons_ are very interesting birds, but, as they only frequent marshy land, it is not every situation that is suitable for them. They have certainly a striking appearance in a landscape, when they are seen standing for hours together on the banks of a piece of water watching the fish; and, when they fly, the flapping of their long wings, and the cries they utter, have something in them extremely wild and romantic.