108 



PHEASANT 



PHELP8 



among clover antl hay in tin- season of mowing- 

 In fact, where pheasant* are reared in large mimliers 

 neaily .-ill tilt' liinU are hatched liy cither common 

 hens or incubator-, which arc U-ing largely employed 

 fur (lie pim>ose. In the former MH-I!IIM( coops are 

 m|ilii\r<l. in fmnt of which an' runs formed by 

 win- netting. ini'1 in this '>' a large 'lumber can 

 I-- alli-ndcd to at !) time. Very young pliea-ants 

 niii-i \- carefully supplied with ants' eggs, maggots, 

 gentles, Ac., ami the whole dillicully of rearing 

 tin-in is in their earliest stage. The difficulty of 

 rearing birds bred in confinement has led to the 

 introduction of various forms <if artificial food, 

 -\cial of which are excellent. Cnstanl is largely 

 employed, and when given fresh is eaten with 

 avidity, and brings on the young birds rapidly. 

 Canary seed is good also at iiist. Pheasant* feed 

 very indiscriminately on U-rries, seeds, roots, young 

 -In.., i- of plants, wiiniis. insects, &c. Beans, peas, 

 eom, anil buckwheat are frequently thrown for 

 them in o|M'ii places in wiiods ; and tliey scrape up 

 bullion- and tiilienms r<M>t in winter. They roost 

 in trees* at no great height from the ground, and 

 poacher* sometimes capture them liy burning sul 

 phur In-low them. I luring the moulting season they 

 do not :t-eend trees to roost, but spend the night 

 on the ground, when they fall a ready prey to foxes. 

 They are fond of woods with a thick undergrowth, 

 in which, when disturhed, they naturally seek 

 shelter, running whilst it is irossihle, rather than 

 taking flight. The male pheasant takes (light 

 niiii-h more readily than the female, which, appar- 

 ently trusting to her lirown colour to escape oDser- 

 > at ion, often remains still until the sportsman is 

 almost upon her. The males and females do not 

 associate together except during the hreeding 

 season, but small numbers of one sex are often 

 found in company. The 'short crow ' of the males 

 Itegins to lie heard in March. In England and 

 Sent land pheasant-shooting legally l-giris on the 

 1st of Octolier, and ends on the 3d of February. 

 The pheasants tinned out from the gamekeeper's 

 breeding yard into a preserve are in general sup- 

 plied with abundance of food during winter, and 

 come to the accustomed call H readily as any kind 

 of (Kiiiltrv, so that the sportsmanship of a 'itnllin: 

 (q.v.), in which they are killed by scores or hun- 

 dreds, is of the lowest kind. Mai/e is one of the 

 ~ls. but barley. peas, wheat, and oats, with 

 the usual green food, are all employed. Some 

 pheasant rearer- use clioppml meat, DOUM |M>tatoes, 

 decayed apple-, raisins, and similar dainties. It 

 U scarcely necessary to mention that the tlesh of 

 the pheasant is in very high esteem for the table. 



Tin- female pheasant, as is the case with most 

 other birds, in old age. or when from any cause 

 incapable of the functions ( ,f reproduction, some 



ti assume* the plumage of the male. The 



pheasant exhibit* a remarkable readiness to hy 

 bridi-e with other gallinaceous birds. A hybrid 

 between it and the common fowl is not linfre- 

 quent, and is called a /'- no, Hybrids between tl,.- 

 plieasant and black grouse have also occurred ; 

 mid hybrids an- -M|.|.SC.| to have been produced 

 between the pheasant and guinea fowl, and the 

 pheasant and turkey. None of these hybrids, 

 r, bun- ever Imen known to be fertile. 

 with one of the original -\-<- i.-.. On the 

 contrary. Ill" nir-pring of the common pheasant 

 and the Cbiiirw. or King m-cked Pheasant (/' ! 

 l*,,t,u\ i- perfectly fertile, circumstance which is 

 urged in argument by thorn; who regard them as 

 men varieties of one species. The ring-necked 

 pheavuit U now almoxt an plentiful in Hriuin as 

 the common phuuuit ; it in a native of the fo T ,-t, 

 of India and China, and is said not to breed with 

 the common pheasant in a truly wild stat*. but in 

 Britain they readily intermix. It i distinguished 



by a white ring almost surrounding the neck, and 



is of smaller size than the common pheasant, -i 



what different in markings, and has a shorter tail. 

 It is the common pheasant of the Celestial Empire. 

 There is also the Kingless ('hine.se Plica-ant /' 

 ili'i-nlliitiiK '}, and other- scarcely known here. The 

 Itohemiaii Pheasant is another variety of a crciimx 

 colour, and it is much more homely ill appearance. 

 White pheasants are of not very unfrequent occur- 

 rence, ami often appear spontaneously from Un- 

 common variety. Pied pheasants may In- 

 from crossing the white and common varieties. ()f 

 other sjHH-ies of pheasant may be mentioned 1 )i 

 Pheasant (P. rertri color), a native of Japan, in 

 which the prevailing colour is brilliant green ; 

 Soemmering s Pheasant (/'. . m / /<//</</ 1. also 

 from Japan, one of the most beautiful phea.sanis 

 known, but terribly pugnacious; and Kee\es's 

 I'he.-usant (P. rerrnii), a native of the north of 

 China, in which white is the prevailing colour, and 

 the tail is of extraordinary length, so that a bird 

 not larger than the common pheasant mca~nie~ 

 eight feet in entire length. Of somewhat dill'ereni 

 type, and more nearly approaching to the common 

 fowl, an- the Colden Pheasant ( /'. jiii-fiis, or '1'lutu 

 mil/in /lii-ln ) and the Silver l'he;.-ant (P. or KIIJI/H- 

 i-iinin.1 iii/rt/ii'iiii-rii.t), both natives of China, and 

 hardy birds, the introduction of which into British 

 preserves has been attempted with decided succe". 

 Both have long been kept in a state of domestii -a 

 tion by the Chinese. The golden pheasant is one 

 of the most splendid of the tribe. It has a Tim- 

 crest, and a ruff of orange and black, capable of 

 iM'ing erected at pleasure. The tail is very long. 

 The crest and rutl are held in great estimation by 

 anglers for making artificial Hies. Lady Amher-i - 

 Pheasant ( P. or Tltintmuliii niiiln ratiir) is a native 

 of China, resembling the golden pheasant, and with 

 an extremely long tail. The silver pheasant is one 

 of the largest and most powerful of the tribe, and 

 very combative, driving the common pheasant from 

 preserves into which it is introduced. The prevail- 

 ing colour of the upper parts and tail of the male 

 is white, finely pencilled with black, tin- breast 

 and belly purplish black. The Eared I'heasant 

 (I'l-imxti/i/iliiii iiiiiiiti'liiirii-init) has a sombre brown 

 liody, a vaulted beak, red face, and white throat 

 and ears, the feathers on which stand up above the 

 head. The Argus Pheasant (.\niux t/i</mtt< H.-. I. 

 found in Malacca and Siam. is separately dis 

 cussed (see Alters). The latter series of pheas- 

 ant* are chiefly kept in aviaries as ornamental 

 fowls, for wliicli purpose they are well adaiiled. A 

 recent introduction, the Prince of Wales I'heasant 

 ( /'. jiriiiriiHiliji), was discovered on the Afghan 

 frontier of India, and is distinguished from all 

 other pheasants in that the greater part of it-- 

 wings are white, though il is somewhat different 

 in its markings and the arrangement of its colours. 



See I>. (i. Klliot, /'AimVuuVfrr (1870-72), Tegetmeier, 

 /'/iiif.oiiic* ( l7:i) : Trice, Pheatant-rmriivj (1H8H) ; Mac- 

 pl i c rum i and others, The Pheeuant (1895). 



I'lu-lps. ELIZABETH STUART, an American 

 authoress. \\as l>orn 31st August 1844, at Andovci. 

 achusetts, the daughter of Professor Austin 

 I'helps and of the authoress of KIIHHII .SVrfe. Besiilc- 

 lecturing and engaging in work for the advance- 

 merit of women and for social reforms, she has 

 written a number of stories, including Tlir Hnli\ 

 Ajiir(lHQ8), which passed through twenty editions 

 in the year of it publication ; lieyond the (lull.-, 

 (1KM3): Thr Qfttm BetWMH i ISS7>; fftdgtd In and 

 //,. silr,,t l',<rt,,, r (1870); Tl- Story of Avis 

 (1877): l>'x-ti,r Xiiy (1884), in which the f|uestion 

 of professional life for women is considered ; and 

 in IMMi, in conjunct ion with her husband, the \\i-\. 

 Herlicrt 11. \\ard, Ctnnr Fur/h, a travesty of the 

 story of Lazarus, and The .Winter oftl,< M,i<iii-i,,,,x. 



