The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-11
NAMES ECCENTRIC PARTRIDGEs.
Flying Through windows and
Roasting on stills.

Flying Through windows and
Roasting on stills.
From the New York Sun.
East Bucksport, Me.-old hunters who
have shot ruffed grouse for the last half
century say they never have known the
birds to act so strangely as they do this
fall. Late in August, or early in Sep
TENDER, when the clutches of young
birds break up and fly away without pa
rental restraint they seem to be dazed
for a time and go through many manoeu-
vers that are not sanctioned by the elders
of the flock. This year these eccentrici-
ties are more pronounced than ever. Many
birds have committed suicide. Toward the
middle of the afternoon, when the sun
shines on the western windows of the farm
houses, sending bright reflections across
the fields and tree-clad pasture lands,
the juvenile cartridges, seeing the light,
become fascinated by its glow and dash
toward it as fast as their wings can take
them. They sometimes miscalculate and
go up against the sides OF the house; then
they fall to the ground with broken necks.
Most of them however, break through
the window panes and strike the far side
of the room, where they are found later
by the occupant of the house.
Mrs. Nicholas Curran, who occupies a
large house near the shores of Brewers
pond, has lost eight lights of glass on ac-
count of the misguided partridges that
few into her window this fall. In return
she has caught six plumb BIRDS, which Went
to supply the family table. The seventh
bird hit in the center of the high attic vim
down, few through the open chamber, and
broke a pane from the opposite end OF the
house, escaping to the woods.
On last Monday evening Allen Clark and
his family of Dedham were sitting round
the table after supper when a partridge
came in through the glass, hit the kerr
osene lamp on the table and tipped II
over to the floor. After the family had
put out the fire they found the partridge
hidden among the pillows of a cfadle
from which the baby had just been re-
moved.
On last Saturday afternoon Mrs. Atwood
of Owington sat down in aegreat armchair
in the west room of her house and fell
asleep. She was aroused rudely by a
young partridge which bolted through the
glass and hit her in the side of.the head.
A young son of Frank Ellis of Pros
pect was down cellar clearing out a bin
for potatoes when a partridge entered at
the cellar window, flew into the cistern,
and was drowned.
John OBrlen and Lester Rogers, two
young men from SOuth BOSTON, came 10
Maine early in September and engaged
board at a country farm house, intending
to pass a few weeks shooting partridges.
They arrived early one morning and pass
ed the first day In a vain hunt for birds.
Before sunrise they were aroused by the
noise of something rapping on the win
dow sill of their room. on lifting the
curtain they saw a partridge sitting on the
window ledge, eating a crab apple which
It had picked from a tree growing near
the house. The family where they board
ed told them that the birds came about
daylight every morning for the fruit. That
night the visitors slept with the window
open and took a shotgun 10 bed with them.
The following morning the occupants Of
the house were frightened by the loud
report Of gun. Rushing TO the room
occupied by the two men, the woman OF
the house was Informed that both of her
guests were in bed and feeling as well as
usual They also told her II she would
look under the crab apple tree she would
find a partridge which they wished to have
dressed and cooked for breakfast The
next morning they shot another bird In
the same manner, and then, after skipping
one morning, they killed the third one.
Although the partrdges act strangely
and cause no little talk. they are not at
all plentiful this fall. Last winter was
unusually bad for the old birds. Many OF
those which survived had their nests rob-
bed by prowling foxes or were drowned
by May rain storms, so nobody can ex-
pect good hunting this year.