300 RURAL BIRD LIFE. 



earth and remain motionless, her colours blending so 

 beautifully with the withered leaves that she is com- 

 paratively safe. Should you chance to direct your at- 

 tention towards her, she will start suddenly up, and, run- 

 ning rapidly through the intricacies of the undergrowth, 

 is speedily lost to view. This crouching at the approach 

 of danger is common to many birds, but in none that I 

 am acquainted with does it occur to such a marked 

 degree as in the present species. I have often watched 

 female Pheasants feeding, when my presence has been 

 unknown to them, and noticed how quickly they crouch 

 to the ground when a distant footfall or even the snap- 

 ping of a branch is heard. 



When night is about to wrap the woods in its folds, 

 and you hear the discordant scream of the Jay and the 

 harsh chatter of the Magpie previous to settling down to 

 rest, you hear the Pheasant crow. Not like the dunghill 

 fowl, but in one loud and dissonant scream. Crow 

 succeeds crow, and then you may rest assured the 

 Pheasants are about to seek a roosting place, which is 

 usually in the shelter of the evergreens in autumn and 

 winter, although many birds roost on the ground in the 

 former season, or in the other trees, notably the silver 

 birch, and larch in summer. If in your wanderings you 

 should chance to pass the place where a male is roosting, 

 and happen to disturb him, he at once betrays his pre- 

 sence by crowing long and loud, and then flies rapidly 

 off, to pass the remainder of the night on the ground. 



The Pheasant lives a solitary life, save in the short pair- 

 ing season, which takes place in April or May. It is also a 

 polygamous species, and we often see as many as five or 

 six females in the company of one male. In the pairing 

 season combats are of frequent occurrence between the 

 males for the possession of the females. The male bird 



