Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-04-22
NATURAL HISTORY IS
OF THE SOUTH i !
BY JAMES HENRY RICE, Jr.
THE PARTRIDGE AS A:eAME BIRD

BY JAMES HENRY RICE, Jr.
THE PARTRIDGE AS. .A:eAME BIRD
Accepting things as they are, and not
us they might be in a dream, world,
the. Partridge..is is a. game bird. More
over. he is the finest game bird in the
world. so regarded; by every sportsman,
native or foreign: that has made his
acquaintance. No" bird dies. SO well to
may. be said, meets his fate in a gamer
way. ..,, 20. - - - ~
Among sportsmen it has been ac-
cepted the acme of sport consisted; in
Partridge shooting, two men and two
dogs with birds sufficiently plentiful.
The work of men and the work Of good
dogs constitute an ideal condition.
Now the mere killing Of birds, or
any other animal, without definite OBJ
ject is indefensible. Should etani-
mails be required for food, or. should
their habits be destructive to man and
his works, then there is reason for
killing them; but, however little in
time past these things have been
weighed, in this enlightened age it
follows that the wanton ':illing Of any
living thing is sin and a crime
against the laws of God.
Partridge a Clean Bird.
The Partridge, like the Quail men
toned in the Scriptures is a clean
clean bird and may be taken for food.
A: surplus Of eggs is laid, providing. as
1T were, for increase over normal kill
ing, The Israelites were permitted to
take the Quails, but the amount taken
was strictly defined, and for xceeding
it they were visited with grevious
plague. 49,. -. j..
So it: is now, and 1t will always be.
Man is allowed to take reasonable
number, in what manner the laws per-
nit; and even our laws forbid the TAX
ing Of more than: a limited number
each day. ..i.-..
A,icovey of Partridges consists nor
mally of twelve to. fifteen birds More
than that in a coyey means that two
Or: more coveys have come together.
On this basis it would be within reas-
on to take half a dozen birds from a
single covey and then leave it alone for
the rest OF the season. 80"
The boys have some wonderful logic
in the matter Of Partrid e. hunting. 1t
satisfies them because they wish to
be satisfied. They wish to shoot
Partridges. If I>had not spent many
years Of my youth and early manhood
hunting Partridges, some Of this hunt
err logic would impose on me-. but It
does not. The boys affirm that, Sun :
less Partridges are shot regularly they
will not, increase and to- prove: this
they lug all sorts of reasons:t One
merely needs to be reminded that af-
ter the War between tht States Part
ridges were more numerous than they
had been for decades; they were
abundant when the country, was first
discovered;: they are abundant when a
large place, on which feed abounds, IS
shut off from hunters. They ,dwindie
under shooting as everybody but the
hunter knows. ;.
We must take the hunter kindly,
however, and bear with his amiable
weakness. Primarily, he is good fel-
low and his brains develop as he grows
older that is,' if they develop at all:
Hawks Necessary. -.
/ Another well known fact to natura-
lists is that Hawks are necessary to
the existence Of Partridges, although
some birds are caught. The Hawks
catch off the sick and diseased birds
and keep the rest we'll NO vide
winged Hawk should ever be killed.
The Blue-Darter and the Chicken
Hawk Coopers Hawk may Wen De
thinnedo ut,( as far as they can oe' Ior
these do more harm than good,
Therefore, if the hunter is kept with
in bounds, he may rejoice in his youth
and bag enough to safe desire at the
proper season.
I shall refrain from describing the
glory of Partridge shooting; for the
editor Of a famous sportsman's paper
wrote me once that my description
played such havoc with his principles
that he wished to get his gun and go
a-field right off, although he had long
forsworn hunting. Let us avoid m
creas;ng the sportsman's ardor. II is
hot enough already and the, Goals neeo
no tanning. ,,.,.
One thing should be said, field sport
10 wholesome, indulged in moderation
and affords vent for pent- up energy,
with which youth is charged. Ihere
Is no finer exercise than hunting
whether done afoot or on horseback.
In no other way can one drink IN
the freshness and beauty OF WOODS
streams and fields with such eNqulslte
delight. Never is the sky so blue, and
n'ever the fall woods so brown and
crisp to look at as when the hunter
goes a-field for game. ..,.
Even in the depth Of winter WIN
snow, ice and sleet, with wind or ram,
there is grim pleasure in delylns
whether in pursuit OF game, When
youth braces its sinews and sorlnss
over the ground in the confidence OF
strength. The time comes When thess
things please no longer. Age dims the
sight and relaxes the muscles; but IN
the morning of life such things lie
very far away.