172 THE PHEASANT. 



" brown and silver Pheasants are occasionally found in 

 the woods of Edrington." ^ 



Most of the landed proprietors in the county appear 

 to have begun to preserve this beautiful game bird in their 

 policy grounds and woods before the middle of the nine- 

 teenth century ; and on properties where there is much 

 cover shooting great numbers of Pheasants are now arti- 

 ficially reared every season, to form an addition to those 

 which are hatched in the plantations and hedge-rows. 



In former times when the birds were scarce, setters or 

 spaniels were used to find them, but now they are generally 

 driven out of the covers by men and boys, and forced to fly 

 as high as possible over the sportsmen, who are conveniently 

 placed to intercept them. 



Some writers have decried Pheasant shooting as un- 

 manly, owing to the alleged tameness of the birds ; but 

 in November and December, when they have become wild, 

 and strong on the wing, great skill is required to bring 

 them down as they pass like rockets high overhead in 

 the air.^ This they invariably do if the covers are pro- 

 perly driven, and the guns are posted at a suitable distance 

 from the side of the wood out of which the birds suddenly 

 spring and mount rapidly in the air to escape from the 

 beaters. 



The following records of some of the best bags of 

 Pheasants got in various parts of Berwickshire have been 

 kindly supplied to me by correspondents in the respective 

 parishes mentioned ; and I take this opportunity of thank- 

 ing them for their notes, which will doubtless be of 

 interest to sportsmen in the county, not only now, but in 

 years to come. 



1 New Statistical Account of Scotland, vol. ii. (Berwickshire), p. 340. 

 - See sketch, "As high as ever you saw them," iu Field and Covert Shooting. 

 Badminton Library, second edition, 1887, p. 194. 



