REED-PHEASANT 



519 



orange of the flanks, which, in its turn, presents a striking contrast 

 to the black tail-coverts. The hen has a fawn-coloured head, and no 

 black on the cheeks or under tail-coverts, although she resembles her 

 partner in having the beak yellow and the legs black. Young birds 

 differ from hens in the presence of black streaks on the head and 

 back. 



Ranging, in suitable localities, over the greater part of Europe 

 southward of Scandinavia and northern Russia, and extending 

 eastwards into Central Asia, the reed-pheasant is one of the rapidly 

 disappearing British birds, whose last refuge is the Norfolk Ikoads 

 and neighbouring districts. Previous to the draining of W'hittlesea 

 Mere (in 185 1), it 

 was abundant in 

 Huntingdonshire 

 and Cambridgeshire 

 and also in Lincoln- 

 shire and the mar- 

 shes of Essex and 

 Kent ; while at a 

 still earlier date it 

 has been recorded 

 from Sussex, Dor- 

 setshire, Devonshire, 

 and occasionally 

 Cornwall. 



Although oc- 

 casionally taking 

 flights of consider- 

 able length, reed-pheasants generally skulk, especially in rough weather, 

 among their native reed-brakes, where they creep and flit after the 

 manner of titmice ; insects and small snails, supplemented in winter 

 by seeds, constituting their food. The nest, which is exceedingly 

 difficult to find, is constructed of reed-leaves, lined with the flower-heads 

 of reeds and sometimes a few feathers, and placed, as a rule, at no 

 great distance above the ground in a bunch of reeds. The eggs, of 

 which from five to seven form a clutch, are white marked with faint 

 brown dots and streaks ; the latter suggesting affinity with the 

 buntings. 



Nests containing half-a-dozen eggs, with the hen-bird on the top, 

 used to be sold in Yarmouth and Norwich at the rate of fivepence 

 a-piece for the former and a shilling for the latter ; and till bird- 



MOUNTED IN THE ROWLAND WARD STUDIOS 



KKKD-PHKASANT F-'EMALK 



