FLIGHT OF THE PHEASANT. 187 



fore he gets a glimpse of them. The startling noise and 

 flutter that a Pheasant makes, when springing from the 

 ground, is very apt to shake the shooter's nerves, or throw 

 him oft" his guard, and by this means, as much as any other, 

 the bird escapes being bagged. I have seen Pheasants 

 spring at the feet of sportsmen and fly off and escape 

 without being fired at, "offering a beautiful mark, too." 

 The sudden spring, accompanied by the startling whirr 

 and flutter, would throw the shooter off his guai'd, and the 

 bird would fly away and escape with impunity, while the 

 shooter would stand and gaze with astonishment at the 

 unexpected and lightning flight of the bird. A full-grown 

 Pheasant, late in the season, flies at the rate of ninety miles 

 an hour, at least — that is, twenty-six hundred and fortj" 

 yai'ds a minute, or forty-four j^ards in a second, and in a 

 breeze the bird will fly one-third swifter. If, therefore, a 

 Pheasant springs at your feet at this velocity, and you re- 

 quire one second to bring the sight to bear upon him, he 

 will be out of ordinary range, and the chances are three 

 out of four against the bird being stopped. If it is flying 

 across, and you dwell one second on the aim, the chances 

 are three out of four you will miss him. If it springs at 

 your feet and flies off in your rear, and you lose one sec- 

 ond in turning and getting aim, there are three chances 

 out of four the bird will not be bagged. If it springs ten 

 yards in advance, and flies straight oft', and you require 

 three-fourths of a second to pitch the gun to the shoulder, 

 and draw a bead on him, the chances are three out of four 

 the bird will go freely on and escape unharmed. If it darts 

 down the moment after being fired at, and flies and skims 

 along close to the ground, and your dog pursues it close 

 and hotly, there are three chances out of four it will mount 

 and light upon a tree, and unless you are very careful, un- 

 derstand your business, and have a sharp eye, there are 

 fifty chances to one he will escape your notice and evade 

 being bagged. When brought down among thick laurel 

 gi'owth only wing tipped, unless you have a smart, swift 

 dog to give chase, or fire upon him with the second barrel 



