164 ORNITHOLOGICAL RAMBLES. 



light-fingered gentry who are adepts in wiring and 

 snaring, the more adventurous night poacher must 

 console himself with but few shots, at great inter- 

 vals of time and space, and moreover possess an 

 accurate knowledge of the country to enable him 

 to escape detection, and to secure such a booty as 

 will repay him for the hours mis-spent, and the 

 risks encountered in this precarious and unseason- 

 able occupation. 



The ring-necked variety, which is common 

 enough in some parts of the county, is less fre- 

 quently met with in the weald. Its origin may 

 probably be attributed to the introduction of the 

 Chinese species (Phasianus torquatus), which, 

 breeding freely with the common pheasant (Pha- 

 sianus Colchicus), became gradually intermixed 

 with it, but possessing less vigour and robustness 

 of constitution, its characteristic plumage was gra- 

 dually absorbed by its congener, and it has be- 

 queathed nothing but the imperfect ring of white 

 feathers to its descendants. 



Pied pheasants are not uncommon, particularly 

 in the neighbourhood of preserves, where the sys- 

 tem of rearing poults from eggs hatched under 

 barn-door hens has been pursued during many 

 successive seasons. I confess that I am no ad- 

 mirer of these parti-coloured birds, for I regard 

 this aberration from the true plumage as the 



