436 



THE PHEASANT. 



The food of this bird is extremely varied. When young it is gen- 

 erally fed on ants' eggs, maggots, grits, and similar food, but when it 

 is fully grown it is possessed of an accommodating appetite, and will 

 eat many kinds of seeds, roots, and leaves. The tubers of the common 

 buttercup form a considerable item in its diet, and the bird will also 

 eat beans, peas, acorns, and berries of various kinds. 



The Pheasant is a ground-loving bird, running with great speed, 

 and always preferring to trust to its legs rather than to its wings. 



The Php:asant {Pha.vanus Colchicus) 



It is a crafty creature, and when alarmed, instead of rising on the 

 wing, it slips quietly out of sight behind a bush or through a hedge, 

 and then runs away with astonishing rapidity, .always remaining 

 under cover until it reaches some spot where it deems itself to be 

 safe. 



The nest of the Pheasant is a very rude attempt at building, being 

 merely a heap of leaves and grasses collected together upon the ground, 

 and with a very slight depression, caused apparently quite as much by 

 the weight of the eggs as by the art of the bird. The eggs are numer- 

 ou.s, generally about eleven or twelve, and their color is a uniform olive- 

 brown. Their surfiice is very smooth. 



