NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 37 



pheasant fails in extended flight across 

 water, settling after a few hundred yards, 

 even when the surface of the water is 

 ruffled, and there can be no reflection to 

 make mistakes possible. Despite this 

 and the fact that it is doubtful whether 

 they can ever rise off the water, pheasants 

 will commonly start flying across wide 

 stretches of water without showing any 

 misgivings as to their safe arrival some- 

 where, and to see a bevy of pheasants 

 starting straight across the Atlantic for 

 America is no unusual sight at places 

 on the West coast, where the coverts 

 often run down close to the sea. 



Once in the water, the pheasant is no 

 mean swimmer although probably incap- 

 able of any prolonged efforts. In this 

 respect the Prince of Wales excels all 

 the others, being almost amphibious in 

 his habits among the marshy reed-grown 

 swamps of his native Afghan Rivers. 

 Nor are his performances in the water 

 all on the surface. In 1870, a shooter on 

 the West Moors near Wimborne noted 



