Partridge and Young　大鹌鹑和小鹌鹑

One afternoon,while walking across a meadow,near a village,I saw a dog of the terrier breed pursuing a partridge,which every now and then turned and made at it with its wings down,then rolled over,then ran,and again rushed at the dog.I drove the dog away,when I was surprised to see a number of young partridges running from behind the old bird who had been trying to protect them from the dog,and guarding their retreat.So you see how brave the most timid creatures become when in danger,and when their young are near.Instinct tells them that they have to protect their little ones,and risk everything,even their own lives,for their safety.We can get beautiful lessons every day from the birds and poor dumb animals,if we only study them as we ought.

一天下午，我穿过一个村庄附近的草地时，看到一只小猎犬追赶一只鹌鹑。鹌鹑不时地回过头来，扑棱起翅膀迎击小狗，然后，转过身子接着跑。过一会儿，又回过头来迎击小狗。我赶走了小狗，却惊奇地发现，从大鹌鹑身后跑出来好几只小鹌鹑。原来，刚才大鹌鹑一直在掩护这几只小鹌鹑撤退。所以，你瞧，为了保护身边的孩子，连最胆小的鸟儿遇到危险时，也会变得这么勇敢！本能要求它们必须保护自己的孩子，为了孩子们的安全，它们要敢于冒一切风险，哪怕是献出自己的生命。让我们关注身边的鸟儿和可怜的动物们吧！它们虽然不会说话，但是，只要我们留心观察，每天都会得到美好的启迪。