The OoLOGiST. 



VOL. XV. NO. 12. 



ALBION, N. Y., DEC, 1898. 



Whole No. 149 



Ring-necked Pheasant in New Jersey. 



This year's report of the New Jersej' 

 Fish' and Game Commission contains 

 an exhaustive and interesting review of 

 the work undertaken to stock the State 

 with the Ring-necked Pheasant. Owing 

 to our limited space we are able to give 

 only a few of the more interesting par- 

 agraphs and reports: 



In many of the States of the Union 

 the Ring-necked Pheasant has been in- 

 troduced with success, although in 

 nearly every case its introduction was 

 due primarily at least to private enter- 

 prise. There is perhaps no State better 

 adapted to this bird than New Jersey, 

 especially in the southern part, where 

 the sparsely settled yet cultivated coun- 

 try seems to offer them a home where 

 they may propagate their species with- 

 out assistance from human kind. For 

 it must be remembered that in most 

 places where the Ring-necked Pheasant 

 has been introduced it was propagated 

 by the eggs being placed nnder the 

 common hen, the parent bird declining 

 to sit long enough to hatch out the 

 young or to take care of ihem after they 

 had left the shell. Experiments tried 

 in this country show that the female 

 bird makes a better mother in this 

 country than it does in England, and 

 many instances are recorded of the 

 bird rearing its own young. Scientists 

 attribute this to the more prolific insect 

 life in this country; they argue that in 

 Europe and in England especially, in- 

 sects are less numerous than they are 

 here, and that consequently there the 

 Pheasant has enough to do to provide 

 for its own subsistence without troub- 

 ling itself with a numerous progeny. 

 Be the facts what they may, it is well 

 established that the Ring, Pheasants in 



this country take care of their own 

 young. 



All these facts having been taken into 

 consideration your commission con- 

 cluded to try the experiment of intro- 

 ducing the Ring-necked Pheasant into 

 New Jersey. For this' purpose a num- 

 ber of birds were sent out two years 

 ago, care being taken to provide homes 

 for them where there was a probability 

 of their being looked after for some 

 time. Everywhere they were received 

 with pleasure, especially so in farming 

 communities. The inhabitants had ob- 

 served with regret the diminution in 

 the numbers of the indigenous Ruft'ed 

 Grouse and they welcomed the beauti- 

 ful stranger. No argument could be ad- 

 duced against the bii'd, for it destroys 

 no growing crops, pilfers little of the 

 fallen grain and far more than compen- 

 sates for the loss of the grain by the 

 destruction of insects. The result of 

 the experiment was closely watched, 

 and it was so encouraging that your 

 commission was induced to continue its 

 efforts toward the better introduction 

 of the bird. Last year the number put 

 out was increased over that of the pre- 

 ceeding year, and although failures are 

 reported in a few instances, a perusal 

 of the subjoined letters will probably 

 bring the careful reader to the conclu- 

 sion arrived at by your commission, 

 that the bird may be introduced into 

 New Jersey, and that with a close seas- 

 on for a few years, and proper care, it 

 will soon become more numerous here 

 than the Ruffed Grouse. Your com- 

 mission has no desire whatever to per- 

 sist in the experiment of introducing 

 the bird unless thei'e is at least a prob- 

 able chance of its ultimate success and 

 in order that youi-self and the public 

 generally may know just what degree 



