From ten to twenty eggs are laid by the Partridge, of a pale yellow-brown, without any spots. There has been some diversity of opinion as to the time of hatching, some holding that the third week of June is the time, whilst others say the middle of the following month; but I think that the locality in which the bird is found has something to do with this difference of time. She does not make any nest worth speaking about, merely scratching and trampling the grass, weeds, &c., down. Her nest is situated on the ground in standing grass, cornfields, among brackens, weeds, &c., mostly in arable districts She sits very closely, indeed so closely that I have known her head cut clean off as she sat on her nest in a field of grass which was being mown.
THE WILD DUCK.
The nest of the Wild Duck is composed of grass, intermixed and lined with down, and is generally situated on the ground near the margin of rivers or lakes, to enable the mother to lead her progeny to the water immediately they are hatched. However, there are numerous exceptions to the usual site of her nest, as it is occasionally found occupying deserted Crows' nests, or built on pollard willows, and has even been found in such an exceptionally odd situation as a church tower, from whence she managed to convey her young in safety. These elevated nesting-places have given rise to much variance of opinion amongst naturalists as to how the parent bird carries her progeny to the water; some contending that she conveys them in her feet, others, in her beak, &c.
This habit of the bird, however, is quite familiar to the Laplanders, who prepare wooden cylinders, which they stop at each end, leaving a hole in the side, and elevate on poles, to entice the duck, which does not hesitate to avail itself of such convenient accommodation; thus the wily Laplander is enriched with a good store of eggs for breakfast. The Hawk-Owl often takes a fancy to the situation, and appropriates it for nidification purposes, paying dearly for his intrusion when the owner of the cylinder comes round to collect his dues.
The eggs of the Wild Duck number from eight to fifteen, of a greenish-white colour, smooth on the surface.
THE CUCKOO.
The Cuckoo seems to think he was born to do nothing else but tell and re-tell