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short and hollow ; and though the birds are much 

 better fliers than common fowls, especially when these 

 are in a state of domestication, their flight is heavy 

 and fluttering, and apparently produced with con- 

 siderable effort. 



All the known species are natives of Asia, and 

 they are inhabitants of woods or wooded places, 

 where they perch in trees during the night, but they 

 feed and nestle upon the ground. As is the case 

 with most of the order, their nests are very rude and 

 hardly deserving the name. The broods are numer- 

 ous, but the numbers vary a good deal with the cha- 

 racters of the climate. The young, when they first 

 make their appearance, are covered with soft down ; 

 and they can run and pick up their food almost as 

 soon as they break the shell. There are several spe- 

 cies and varieties of pheasants, besides hybrids be- 

 tween the different ones, and between the male and 

 other gallinidae ; and though in general they are, as 

 wild birds, more constant to their colours than domes- 

 ticated birds, there are often coloured varieties, and 

 even albinos. 



THE COMMON PHEASANT (P. Colchis} is so called 

 from the country whence it is said to have been 

 first brought to Europe, which is generally under- 

 stood to have been from the banks of the river 

 Phasis, in the ancient state of Colchis, or the modern 

 province of Mingrelia. They are now, however, 

 pretty generally introduced as ornamental birds into 

 all the morg warm and temperate parts of Europe ; 

 and on the continent they are found as far north as 

 the countries adjoining the northern bay of the Baltic, 

 and in Asia as far as Siberia. In all places where 

 they are found, their appearance and their flesh are 

 both highly prized, but they cannot be considered of 

 much value in an economical point of view, as they 

 can hardly be said to be in the possession of the real 

 cultivators of the ground, and breeders of domestic 

 animals for economical purposes. It furnishes our 

 tables with a very delicate article of food, and adorns 

 our parks and thickets, which it greatly enlivens. 

 From its having short wings, it flies rather heavily, 

 and to a short distance at a time. It is with difficulty 

 tamed, being naturally very shy, living in a very soli- 

 tary manner, and, except in the pairing season, it 

 seems averse to consort even with those of its own 

 species. Yet when these birds are in the constant 

 habit of being attended in the coverts by a keeper, 

 they will immediately attend his whistle to be fed ; 

 nay, will follow him in flocks, and will scarcely allow 

 the peas to run into the trough before they begin to 

 eat ; and those that cannot find sufficient room at one 

 trough will follow him with the same familiarity to 

 another. They are fond of buck-wheat and corn, but 

 will frequently feed on the wild berries of the woods, 

 and on acorns. They feed their young on insects, 

 worms, and the pupre of ants. They are fond of the 

 shell er of woods and thickets, but will very frequently 

 breed in clover fields. The nest is made on the 

 ground, and is generally composed of dry vegetables 

 very carelessly put together. The female endeavours 

 to conceal it from the male, and lays from ten to six- 

 teen eggs, which are somewhat smaller than those o) 

 the common hen, and of a greenish grey colour spot- 

 ted with brown. The incubation lasts rather more 

 than three weeks ; and as soon as the young break 

 the shell they follow the mother like chickens. Should 

 they not be disturbed, the parents and their brood 

 remain in the hedge-rows and stubble for some time ; 

 NAT. HIST. VOL. II. 



but if molested or scared, they will quit those places 

 and betake themselves to the woods, and come forth 

 only to feed in the morning and evening. In a con- 

 fined state the female neither lays so many eggs nor 

 hatches and rears her brood with so much care and 

 vigilance as in the fields. In a mew she will rarely 

 dispose her eggs in a nest, or sit on them at all ; so 

 that the domestic hen is usually entrusted with the 

 charge of hatching and breeding the young. The 

 female pheasant is less careful in calling her brood 

 together than the partridge, even when enjoying 

 greater freedom ; but she will shelter as many as seek 

 protection under her wings. After all, about one- 

 third of the young race never attain to full growth ; 

 for many fall a sacrifice to the first moulting, and 

 several to a disorder which proceeds from the presence 

 of a species of fasciola in the trachea called "oscitans" 

 or " gapes." A very considerable number of their 

 eggs is sometimes destroyed by the mowing of clover 

 near woods which pheasants frequent. As the cold 

 weather approaches, these birds begin to fly at sunset 

 to the branches of the oaks, which they roost among 

 during the night ; and this they more frequently do 

 as the trees lose their foliage, and winter advances. 

 The males on these occasions make a noise which is 

 technically called " cocketing," which they repeat 

 three or four times ; but the hens utter one shrill 

 whistle only on flying up, and then remain silent. 

 The sportsman reckons the pheasant a bird of easy 

 conquest, owing to its size and awkward noisy flight ; 

 and it is even reputed stupid, because, when roused, 

 it will often perch on a neighbouring tree, and have 

 its attention so rivetted on the dogs as to suffer the 

 sportsman to approach very near. The old cocks, 

 however, have been observed to have recourse to 

 various stratagems, in thick and extensive coverts, 

 before they are compelled to take wing ; and Le Roy 

 has remarked, that they regulate the hours of their 

 repast by the seasons. The crowing of the males, 

 which commences in the beginning of March, may be 

 heard very frequently at a considerable distance. 



There are many species or varieties of pheasants 

 (for in these birds it is not a very easy matter to distin- 

 guish what is a species and what a variety) found in 

 the south-east of Asia, from the islands northward to 

 China. One of the most remarkable of these, in size, 

 in the peculiarity of its plumage, and in the richness 

 produced by various contrasted tints of a few original 

 colours, will be found described in the article ARGUS, 

 and some idea of the appearance of a few of the more 

 elegant ones may be formed upon inspecting the 

 plate " PHEASANTS." The manners of the whole are 

 pretty similar; though, as might be expected, the 

 more recent importations from warm countries are 

 not quite so hardy as those which have long been 

 inured to cold climates. We shall give very brief 

 notices of a few of the more remarkable. 



THE GOLDEN PHEASANT (P. pictus). The painted 

 pheasants are natives of China, from which they have 

 been introduced into the parks and aviaries of Europe. 

 They are reared in this country with as much ease as 

 the common species, and they appear to be more 

 familiar in their habits. On their first introduction, 

 this was not supposed to be the case, and therefore 

 they were nursed with very great care, and the suc- 

 cessful breeding of them was considered even as 

 something very fortunate, notwithstanding all the care 

 which was bestowed on them. That it was fortunate 

 is very true, but the fortune lay exactly the other way 

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