The Bird of Dexter: A Partridge’s Remarkable Return
After being tamed, caged, and set free on a farm, a wild partridge inexplicably returned to its owner's doorstep, prompting a local newspaper to take notice.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Natural history sets the partridge down as one of the most difficult fowls to domesticate. A year ago last September, William Elmer captured a young partridge on his father's farm near Dexter and put it in a cage in a store in this city. At first, the bird was very wild and uneasy in its new home, but it gradually became more tame, and would eat out of a person's hand, and although the cage door was left open, it would never attempt to go away. Early in the spring, Mr. Elmer moved to his farm, taking with him the bird, and after keeping her there for some time, set her at liberty. The bird disappeared, and nothing was seen of it for over a week. Then the bird returned, and was frequently seen about the premises. Just before moving to the city again, about two months ago, Mr. Elmer saw the bird in a tree near the house, and on his walking up to the tree, the bird began hopping about in the branches, and finally came within reach, and was again captured and placed in the old cage in this city. She has a partner now in the shape of a male partridge, and the two will be pleased to see all who may call upon them in their comfortable quarters on Court street.
“At first, the bird was very wild and uneasy in its new home, but it gradually became more tame, and would eat out of a person's hand.”
While wildlife domestication is a historical curiosity, the story captures a time when the boundary between the wild Cascades and the growing city of Seattle—and surrounding towns like Dexter—was much more porous. Today, residents often find themselves negotiating similar spaces with urban wildlife like coyotes or raccoons, though the Victorian fascination with taming wild birds has largely faded into modern conservation ethics.
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