18 PHEASANTS FOR COVERTS AND AVIARIES. 



the bird goes on and off." Other instances are recorded of 

 nests in a thorn tree lift, from the ground, in a straw stack 

 10ft. high, and in an oak tree at a height of 21ft. 



Although as a rule the male pheasant takes no heed of the 

 eggs laid by the female, or of the offspring when hatched, 

 there are some well ascertained exceptions. Wild cock 

 pheasants have been seen sitting in nests in the coverts by 

 perfectly credible witnesses ; and, although it has been 

 suggested that the birds might have been hens that had 

 assumed the male plumage, such an occurrence is even more 

 unlikely than that a cock should sit, for these hens are always 

 perfectly barren, and must have assumed the male plumage 

 at the previous autumnal moult ; in this condition they have 

 never been known to manifest the slightest desire to incubate. 

 Cocks have also been known to protect the young birds, as in 

 the following instance, which occurred in Aberdeenshire : " I 

 have for the last fortnight almost daily watched a cock 

 pheasant leading about a brood of young ones, whose mother 

 has evidently come to grief. A more attentive and careful 

 nurse could not be than this cock. He boldly follows his 

 young charge on the lawns and to other places where he 

 never ventured before, finds them food, and stands sentry 

 over them with untiring perseverance. They are thriving 

 so well under his care and growing so fast, that they will 

 soon be able to shift for themselves." 



The same singular occurrence has also taken place in an 

 aviary. Lord Willoughby de Broke some time since published 

 the following letter : " I have an aviary in which there is a 

 cock pheasant and four or five hens of the Chinese breed ; at 

 the beginning of the laying season the cock scraped a hole in 

 the sand, in which the hens laid four eggs ; he then collected 

 a quantity of loose sticks, formed a perfect nest, and began 

 to sit ; he sat most patiently, seldom leaving the nest till the 

 eggs were chipped, when the keeper, afraid of his killing 

 them, took them from him, and placed them under a hen 

 pheasant who was sitting on bad eggs ; they were hatched the 



