BLACK GEOUSE — PHEASANT. 127 



dirty -brown birds, making- a cm-ious noise, and looking- as if 

 they had webbed feet — an appearance which their curiovisly- 

 formed feet would be very likely to present to an observer ; 

 another flock of five were seen by a farmer in the same 

 neighbourhood (W. W. Fowler hi lit.). 



THE BLACK GROUSE. 



Tetrao tetrix. 



The Black Grouse has occvirred as a casual wanderer. In 

 October, 1836, a Grey-hen was shot near Forest Hill, but 

 the Messrs. IMatthews, who recorded it, thought it not im- 

 probable it might have escaped from some aviary, although 

 its plumage showed no appearance which would lead to such 

 a conclusion {Zoologist, p. 2598). On the 2nd May, 1880, I 

 examined at a bird-stuffer^s in Banbury a fine Blackcock, 

 freshly stuffed, which was said to have been shot at Tackley, 

 near Woodstock, three weeks previously ; its owner, in face of 

 the flagrant infringement of the Game laws, would not allow 

 his name to be disclosed, and I was unable to gain any fur- 

 ther particulars of the occurrence. 



Examples, descendants of the race of Blackgame rein- 

 troduced into Wolmar Forest, Hants, appear to have strayed 

 into the heathy portions of Berkshire; and in Surrey, where 

 they were also introduced, they have been found about Leith 

 Hill and Guildford (Yarrell) ; it is also found very sparingly 

 in Wiltshire. The examples procured in Oxfordshire may 

 have Meandered from any one of these localities. 



THE PHEASANT. \ \ U 



Phasianus colchicus. 

 The Pheasant was introduced into England at some veiy 

 remote period, probably by the Romans, and had become 

 naturalized and sufliciently abundant to be used as an article 

 of food before the times of the Norman conquest (vide 

 YarrelFs Histori/ of British Birds). 



