182 FRANK SCIILEY's PARTRIDGE AND PIiaASANT SHOOTING. 



March. The male only remains with the female until the 

 latter commences setting. They then keep by themselves 

 unless recalled by the female, when its eggs have been de- 

 stro_yed. Pheasants have been taken A'oung and tamed, 

 and their eggs have been hatched under the Domestic Hen, 

 but the}'^ seldom live until full grown. The nest is very 

 rudely constructed, consisting of only a few leaves laid in 

 a depression. The female places her nest on the ground in 

 some retired spot, fi-equently at the foot of a stump, bush, 

 tree, or log. The hen generally lays from six to twelve 

 eggs, of a yellowish color, and of an elongated oval, pointed 

 at one end. The young brood, aS soon as they are free 

 from the shell, follow their mother in search of food. 8he 

 calls to them with a chuckling note, and when come upon 

 hj a sportsman the young birds hide, and the hen resorts 

 to the same artifice as the Partridge {Ortyx) does to allure 

 the sportsman away from her young. In a short time the 

 young birds become strong enough to fly a short distance. 

 The cocks do not assist the hen in taking care of the young 

 brood — they scatter around singly, and frequently get to- 

 gether in small l)ands until Pali, when they all again asso- 

 ciate indiscriminately together in search of food, both 

 young and old. If the Spring is early, warm, and dry, the 

 young birds will be large enough to shoot by tlie 15th of 

 August, but if tlie Spring is late, and cold, and wet, the 

 brood will be small both in number and size ot the Ijirds. 

 T have shot !»ii-'ls of the young l)roods in ^[aryland and 

 Vii'ginia, on the first day of August, tiiat were ap[)arentl3- 

 as lar<j;e as the oM birds; and then again the next year, on 

 the first of the same month. I have sjirungthem when they 

 were not mnidi hii'^er than a Pai'tridge, which was owing 

 altiMjvthei" to a dift'ei'enee in the season. Take tin- seasons 

 on an avera^-e, the first of September is the pi-o]H"r time 

 to cojnmen'-e shooting the \ ounu- !)i'ood>. About the first 

 of Seitttniber. as a genri-al thini;-. the young birds aiv 

 eourd in si/.e. lint not in weiuiit. to the oiil ones ; an(i t hough 

 tlie\- have not the ])ower and ra])idity of fiight oftiie old 

 bifds, 1 have always found that by the first of Septemlier 



