POOD OF THE PHEASANT, 191 



^ 



FOOD OF THE PHEASANT. 



|HEIR food consists of berries, seeds, grain, and in- 

 sects. In Summer their principal food is grosshop- 

 pers, ants, ant-eggs, wild strawberries, dewberi-ies, 

 W^ blackberries, raspberries, and whortleberries; later 

 in the season and in the Fall, dogwoodberries, sassafras- 

 berries, giiraberries, the different species of wild grapes; 

 later in the Fall, and in the Winter, their principal food is 

 chicken grapes, blackhaws, persimmons, greenbriarberries, 

 sumacberries, and different kinds of seed ; also, nuts, acorns, 

 and beach nuts, wheat, corn, apple seeds, &c. 



In extreme Winter, towards Spring, when the ground is 

 covered by a deep snow, and they can find no more food 

 hanging upon the vines and branches to subsist upon, when 

 the}^ are forced by hunger and starvation, they feed upon 

 the buds and leaves of the mountain laurel, {Kalmia Lati- 

 folia), which is said to impart a poisonous character to the 

 flesh. Instances of poisoning have been known to occur 

 from eating Pheasants, when laurel leaves have been found 

 in their crops. As for myself, I have never experienced 

 any inconvenience after having partaken of the flesh, but 

 there is good authority for these charges, some of which I 

 will quote: 



"This well known evergreen inhabits all sections of the 

 United States, being especially abundant on the sides of 

 hills and mountains. It is from three to ten feet in height. 

 The leaves are possessed of poisonous narcotic properties. 

 They have been analysed by Mr. Charles Bullock, of Phila- 

 delphia, and found to contain gum, tannic acid, resin, chlor- 

 ophyll, fatty matter, a substance resembling mannite, an 

 acrid principle, wax, extractive albumen, yellow coloring 

 matter, lignin, and salts of potassa, lime, and iron." — 

 American Journal of Pharmacy, XX., 264. 



