162 PHEASANTS 



To make a good shoot, on the other 

 hand, we must have small, thick clumps 

 or belts ; small, so that the bulk of the 

 pheasants may be collected and cornered 

 at the flushing spot with reasonable 

 economy of beaters and birds ; thick, to 

 hold the birds and admit of their being 

 flushed by twos and threes. 



This holding cover can often only be 

 provided by laurels or rhododendrons, and 

 there seems to be a widespread notion that 

 pheasants are particularly fond of these 

 evergreens, due probably to the common 

 sight of a mass of birds rising from their 

 midst on shooting days. In point of fact, 

 the pheasant as a rule rather dislikes 

 these wet and dripping bushes in winter, 

 only taking to them in times of alarm or 

 as a refuge from snow. 



The coverts from which the birds are 

 to be shot must — if the quality of the 

 shooting be any consideration — be planted 

 with the sole object of making a good 

 rise ; they will thus commonly be placed 

 on the higher ground, where neither aspect 



