502 



A HISTORY OF 



and courage; but when kept tame, she never 

 sits well; so that a hen is generally her sub- 

 stitute upon such occasions; and as for lead- 

 ing her young to their food, she is utterly 

 ignorant of where it is to be found ; and the 

 young birds starve, if left solely to her pro- 

 tection. The pheasant therefore, on every 

 account, seems better left at large in the 

 woods, than reclaimed to pristine captivity. 

 Its fecundity when wild is sufficient to stock 

 the forest; its beautiful plumage adorns it; 

 and its flesh retains a higher flavour from its 

 unlimited freedom. 



However, it has been the aim of late to 

 take these birds once more from the woods, 

 and to keep them in places fitted for their 

 reception. Like all others of the poultry 

 kind, they have no great sagacity, and suf- 

 fer themselves easily to be taken. At ni^ht 

 they roost upon the highest trees of the wood ; 

 and by day they come down into the lovver 

 brakes arid bushes, where their food is clnef- 

 ly found. They generally make a kind of 

 flapping noise when they are with the females; 

 and this often apprises the sportsman of their 

 retreats. At other times he tracts them in the 

 snow, and frequently takes them in springes. 

 But of all birds they are shot most easily, as 

 they always make a whirring noise when they 

 rise, by which they alarm the gunner, and 

 being a large mark, and flying very slow, 

 there is scarcely any missing them. 



A li ! what avail his glossy, varying dyes, 

 His purpled crest, and scarlet-circled eyes, 

 The vivid green his shining plumes unfold, 

 His painted wings, and breast that flames with gold ? 



POPE. 



When these birds are taken young into 

 keeping, they become as familiar as chick- 

 ens ; and when they are designed for breed- 

 ing, they are put together in a yard, five hens 

 to a cock; for this bird, like all of the poul- 

 try kind, is very salacious. In her natural 

 state the female- makes her nest of dry grass 

 and leaves; the same must be laid for her in 

 the pheasantry, and she herself will some- 

 times properly dispose them. If she refuses 

 to hatch her eggs, then a common hen must 

 be got to supply her place, which task she 

 will perform with perseverance and success. 



The young ones are very difficult to be rear- 

 ed ; and they must be supplied with ants' eggs, 

 which is the food the old one leads them to 

 gather when wild in the woods. To make 

 these go the farther, they are to be chopped 

 up with curds, or other meat; and the yoong 

 ones are to be fed with great exactness, both 

 as to the quantity and the time of their sup- 

 ply. This food is sometimes also to be va- 

 ried, and woodlice, earwigs, and other insects. 

 are to make a variety. The place where 

 they are reared must be kept extremely clean, 

 their water must be changed twice or thrice 

 a day ; they must not be exposed till the dew 

 is otf'the ground in the morning; and they 

 should always be taken in before sun-set. 

 When they become adult, they very well can 

 shift for themselves, but they are particularly 

 fond of oats and barley. 



In order to increase the breed, and make 

 it still more valuable, Longolius teaches us 

 a method that appears very peculiar. The 

 pheasant is a very bold bird, when first 

 brought into the yard among other poultry, 

 not sparing the peacock, nor even such young 

 cocks and hens as it can master; but after 

 a time it will live tamely among them. and. 

 will at last be brought to couple with a com- 

 mon hen. The breed thus produced take 

 much stronger after the pheasant than the 

 hen ; and in a few successions, if they be left 

 to breed with a cock-pheasant, (for the mix- 

 ture is not barren,) there will be produced a 

 species more tame, stronger, and more pro- 

 lific ; so that he adds, that it is strange why 

 most of our pheasantries are not stocked 

 with birds produced in this manner. 



The pheasant, when full grown, seems to 

 feed indifferently upon every thing that of- 

 fers. It is said by a French writer, that one 

 of the king's sportsmen shooting at a parcel 

 of crows, that were gathered round a dead 

 carcass, to his great surprise upon coming 

 up, found that he had killed as many phea- 

 sants as crows. It is even asserted by some, 

 that such is the carnivorous disposition of this 

 bird, that when several of them are put to- 

 gether in the same yard, if one of them hap- 

 prv.s (o fall sick, or seems to be pining, that 

 all the rest will fall upon, kill, ai>d devour it. 

 Such is the language of books : th >se who 

 have frequent opportunities of examming the 



