THE CX)MMON PHEASANT. 411 



The parent-birds aud their brood, if undistxirbed, remaia in. the stubbles and hedge- 

 rows for some time after the corn is ripe. If disturbed, they seek the woods, and onl}' 

 issue thence in the mornings and' evenings to feed in the stubbles. They are fond of 

 corn ; but can procure a subsistence without it, since they often feed on acorns and on the 

 wild berries of the woods. 



" See ! from the brake tlie whiiTing pheasant spring, 

 And mounts exulting on triumphant wings ; 

 Short is his joy ; he feels the fieiy wound, 

 Flutters in blood, and panting beats the ground. 

 Ah ! what avail his glossy, varying dyes, 

 His purple crest, and scai-let-ciix-led eyes ; 

 The vi^•id green his shining plumes unfold. 

 His painted wings and breast that flames with gold '. " * 



In confinement, the female pheasant neither lays so many eggs, nor hatches and rears 

 her brood with so much care and vigilance, as in the fields out of the observation of man. 

 Indeed she will very rareh- dispose them in a nest, or sit upon them at all ; aud hence, 

 in the business of incubation and rearing her young, the domestic hen has generally been 

 substituted for the hen-pheasant. 



It has been supposed by some that this bird is by no means remarkable for sagacity. 

 Thus, it has been asserted that the pheasant imagines itseK out of danger whenever its 

 head only is concealed ; and that on being roused from its tisual state, it will often perch 

 on a neighbouring tree, where its attention will be so fixed on the dogs, as to suffer the 

 sportsman to approach very near. But there are sportsmen who can recount stratagems 

 that they have known old cock-pheasants to adopt in thick and extensive coverts, when 

 they have found themselves pursued, before they could be compelled to take wing, which 

 prove that this bird is not deficient in contrivances for its own preservation. 



As the cold weather draws on, the pheasants begin to fly at simset into the branches of 

 the oak-trees for roosting during the night. This they do more frequently as the vrinter 

 .advances, and the trees lose their foliage. At these times the male birds make a noise, 

 which they repeat three or four times successively, called by sportsmen cocketing. The 

 hens, on flying up, utter one shrUl whistle, and then are silent. 



Poachers avail themselves of these notes to discover the roostiug-places, where, in 

 woods that are not well watched, they have shot the bii'ds with the greatest certainty. 

 When woods have been well guarded, the poacher has adopted a difierent course : for, 

 lighting a number of brimstone matches, the moment the sulphurous fumes reach the 

 birds, they fall into his possession. But to this device his depredations are not limited. 

 Fastening a snare of wire to the end of a long pole, by means of this he drags them, one 

 by one, from the trees ; and sometimes he entangles the birds as they run, in the 

 morning or evening, into the adjacent fields to feed, by nooses made of wire, bj' twisted 

 horsehair, and even by a brier set in the form of a noose, at the verge of a wood. 



Where the coimtry Ls favourable, it is easy to get up a head of pheasants, ^vith the 

 aid of good keepers ; but it is more difficult to keep them at home, for they are wandering 

 birds, and will often leave the place where they are bred, in search of food more agree- 

 able to them, and localities more congenial to their habits. Warm coverts and water are 

 absolutely necessary ; and if they ai-e plentifully supplied with agreeable food, only few of 

 them will become vagrants. Jerusalem artichokes, potatoes, and buckwheat, as well as 

 barley, are favourites with them. Small stacks of the latter grain in the straw are fre- 

 quently placed about the preserves, and there the pheasants may be seen scratching at their 

 feeding-time; but this mode of supply is objectionable, as the poacher sooner finds 

 out the several spots which are attractive, and avails himself of them accordingly. 



• Pope. 



