THE COMMON PHEASANT. 345 



the farmyard, and either quietly feed with the poultry, or, 

 less frequently, do battle with the cocks for the sove- 

 reignty. A story is told, in the Zoologist, of a male Phea- 

 sant, which drove from their perch, and killed in succession, 

 three fine cocks. The proprietor, with a view to prevent 

 further loss, furnished a fourth cock with a pair of steel 

 spurs. Armed with these, the lawful occupant was more 

 than a match for the aggressor, who, next morning, was 

 found lying dead on the ground beneath the perch. 

 Another has been known to beat off a cat ; and a third 

 was in the habit of attacking a labouring man. The 

 female is a timid, unoffending bird, as peaceful in her 

 demeanour as quiet in her garb. The tints of her plumage, 

 far less gaudy than in the male, are a protection to her 

 in the nesting season, as being less likely to attract the 

 notice either of poachers or vermin. Indeed, were she 

 always to lie close, her nest would not be easily discovered, 

 for the colour of her feathers so closely resembles that of 

 withered leaves, that she is, when sitting, less conspicuous 

 than her uncovered eggs would be. 



Common Pheasants are occasionally found having a large 

 portion or even the whole of their plumage white. These, 

 though highly ornamental when mixed with the common 

 sort, are not prized, owing to their being a more con- 

 spicuous mark for poachers. The " Ringed Pheasant " 

 occasionally shot in English preserves is not, as some 

 maintain, a distinct species : it differs from the typical 

 form of the bird only in that the neck is partially 

 surrounded by a narrow white collar passing from the 

 back of the neck to the sides, but not meeting in front. 



