88 IN A CHESHIRE GARDEN 



were extremely wideawake, and though they 

 covered the ground in every other direction, 

 they carefully eschewed a trail of Indian 

 corn, with which he had hoped to tempt them 

 within reach of his gun. 



Turtledoves are fairly common in Che- 

 shire, but there are many more in some years 

 than in others. I only remember their nest- 

 ing in this garden once (in 1899), when they 

 were to be seen on the lawn every day. 



Pheasants are constant visitors; we are 

 very seldom without them at any time of the 

 year, and since parts of the old river bed have 

 been left wild they have taken to breeding 

 here. We have often watched from our 

 window the cock pheasant strutting about 

 the hen, ruffling up his feathers and display- 

 ing himself to advantage like a turkey-cock. 

 The tufts of ear-like feathers on each side 

 of the head are a marked feature in the cock 

 at the courting season and give the bird a 

 curious Mephistophelian look. 



We noticed once when we came upon them 

 unawares as they were feeding on corn we 

 had put for them, that the hen, instead of 

 scuttling off like the cock, clapped close to 

 the ground almost within arm's length, 

 evidently trusting for concealment to her 

 sober colouring. 



One cock who made himself very much at 

 home here in the early part of 1901, and 

 stayed with us for more than three months, 



