PHEASANT II 



apparently incorrect, while there is no record of its ever having been a 

 native of Ireland. It likewise appears to have been always unknown 

 in the Orkneys and Shetlands ; but it exists in Mull, Islay, and Jura, 

 although now very scarce in the two latter, and is also found, though 

 by no means abundantly, in Skye, Lewis, and Harris. 



The moist breezes from the Atlantic seem unsuitable to the 

 ptarmigan, which is therefore unknown in several of the islands and 

 mountains on the western side of Scotland. These birds are but 

 seldom seen on the very summits of mountains like Ben Nevis, prefer- 

 ring a somewhat lower elevation, not much exceeding 4000 feet. Here 

 their haunts are the stony plateaus and rocks above the limits of trees 

 and heather. The usual breeding-time in Scotland is May, the eggs — 

 of which there are usually from eight to ten in a clutch — being laid in 

 a shallow excavation in the turf lined with feathers and grass. As a 

 rule, the eggs are somewhat paler than those of the grouse, with the 

 markings less dense. The British Museum possesses specimens from 

 Ross-shire, Inverness, and the Grampians. Young ptarmigan, which 

 can run as soon as they are hatched, are adepts at concealing them- 

 selves ; their efforts being aided by the hen, who by various antics 

 seeks to divert attention from her brood. The food of the adult birds, 

 like that of grouse, consists of the leaves and young shoots of various 

 shrubs, supplemented in autumn by berries. As a rule, ptarmigan 

 collect into packs of considerable size at the commencement of winter, 

 but in untoward seasons this packing may commence in August. So 

 close do ptarmigan lie, that the peculiar croaking cry may often be the 

 only clue to indicate that the tourist may be in their midst. The 

 season for shooting ptarmigan is the same as that for grouse. 



p. Although undoubtedly an alien whose original home 



.p, . appears to have been Asia Minor and the neighbour- 



eolehieus) hood of the Caspian, the pheasant, by reason of its 



long sojourn (dating, it would seem, from at least the 



eleventh century) in our islands may now claim to be regarded as a 



naturalised British subject. Nevertheless, a very brief reference will 



suffice for the species, especially as it is a bird with which every one is 



familiar ; and it would obviously be of no real interest to refer to the 



extent of its range in the British Islands. Before proceeding to such 



brief notice of the species as seems sufficient for the purpose of the 



present volume, it should be mentioned that the pheasant brings us to 



the second family group of the game-birds, namely, the Phasianidai, of 



which it is the type. From the grouse family, or Tetraonida;, the 



