PHEASANTS. 



423 



Argonauts, about 1300 B.C. The companions of Jason met with 

 this bird on the banks of the Phasis, in Colchis, whence its name 

 is derived. Struck with its beauty, they carried it back with 

 them into Greece, whence it gradually spread over a large portion 

 of the European continent. The Greeks, believing it to be 

 indigenous to the. banks of the Caucasian Biver, called it the 

 " Bird of Phasis ; " subsequently, however, it was ascertained that 

 it also inhabited the whole of the South of Asia (China, Cochin - 

 China, Bengal, &c.). 



Fig. 170. Common Pheasants (Phasianus colchicus, Linn.). 



At the present day this bird is found in France, Great Britain, 

 Holland, Germany, and even Sweden. 



Pheasants prefer wooded slopes or marshy plains. Their food is 

 of a varied character, and is composed of grain, berries, worms, 

 insects, and snails. They are shy and timid in their nature, 

 taking flight at the slightest indication of danger. They live in 

 solitude up to the breeding season, when the male birds select their 



