156 Birds of Xoktii Carolina 



four-year-old lien lays tlic largest setting, the hinl being then at her jirime. Well 

 hidden indeed must be the nest. Skunks, opossums, and raccoons are ever on the 

 alert for scrambled eggs, and even the old gobblers will destroy a family, whether 

 in the form of eggs or helpless young. Among the young Turkey's enemies are 

 wildcats, foxes, and some of the larger birds of prey. 



In the fall the old males join the hens and their well-grown brootls, until some- 

 times flocks of very large size result. With us, however, eight or ten birds make 

 up the average gang, though larger companies are by no means rare. 



The food of the Wikl Turkcj' is varied. The young arc particularly fond of 

 grasshoppers, while various nuts, berries, and acorns form the bulk of the food of 

 the adults. We have seen their tracks out on a fresh-water marsh, which were 

 made, we were told, when the birds were in search of small frogs. In the swamps 

 of eastern North Carolina the black-gum berries are a staple article of diet, the 

 leafy carpet of the woods where black-gums grow iiearing abundant evidences of 

 the fact. 



The principal method of hunting these birds is by scattering the flock anil after- 

 wards calling them up indiviilually within range of the gun. 



27. FAMILY PHASIANID/E. PHEASANTS 



Genus Phasianus (Linn.) 



139. Phasianus colchicus phasianus torquatus. English Ring-necked 



Pheasant. 



Description. — Grncrtil color of mule, coppery chestnut, with brisht purple or lirouzc reilec- 

 tioiKS. The neck is nietuUic bhie, tail Ion;;; iind pointed, with dark crossbars. The female is 

 brownish, mottled and varied with dusky; lower parts plain; tail barretl. L., 30.00; \\ ., 10.00; 

 T., 18.00-20.(X). 



Ruiiije in North Carolina. — At present confined largely to the piedmont section of the State. 



While the English Ring-necked Pheasant is not a native, it has been iiitioduced 

 and reared on some of the large game preserves in the central i)art of the State. 

 Wandering beyond the borders of these preserves, this splendid game bird may now 

 be frequently met with in various localities; especially is this true in the counties 

 of Randolph, Chatham, Davidson, and Cuilford. 



Large in size, of most gorgeous plumage (in the case of the male), and one of 

 the best birds for the table, the English Ring-necked Pheasant is worthy of the 

 heartiest efforts of the bir(l-])r()teetiouisl. With jiroper regulations for its ]iropaga- 

 tion and protection, it should prove a valuable addition to the avifauna of the 

 State. Thousands of them breed today in a wild state in central North Carolina. 

 The English Ring-neck(>d Pheasant is a hybrid between the English Pheasant 

 {Phasiamis colchicus) and the Ring-necked Pheasant {Phasianus torquatus). 



XI. ORDER COLUMB.ffi. PIGEONS AND DOVES 



28. FAMILY COLUMBID/E. PIGEONS AND DOVES 

 KEY TO liENEUA 



1. Tail short, rounded; wing less than 4.00. Cliamcpelia. 

 1. Tail long and pointed. Zenaidura. 



