THE PUEASANT.] 



SHOOTINO. 



[the PH1;AS\^"T. 



CHAPTER Vl. 



THE PHEASANT. 



Theee are two sporting varieties of the pbea- I 

 sant — the pJiasimms colchicus, Linn.; and 

 the pJiasianus torquatics, of Temmiuck. They 

 interbreed, however ; and from this circumstance 

 it has been supposed, by naturalists, that the 

 difference between them arises more from acci- 

 dental causes than from any law determined by 

 the will of nature. 



Bewick describes the common pheasant as 

 being two feet eleven inches in length. The 

 bill is of a pale horn colour, and the nostrils 

 are hidden under an arched covering. The 

 eyes are yellow, and surrounded by a space, in 

 appearance like scarlet cloth, finely spotted 

 with black. Under each eye there is a small 

 ])atch of short feathers, of a dark glossy purple ; 

 the upper sections of the head and neck are of 

 a deep purple, inclining to glossy green and 

 blue. The lower parts of the neck and breast 

 are of a reddish chestnut, with black indented 

 edges ; and the sides and lower portion of the 

 breast are of the same hue, with rather large 

 tips of black on each feather, which, in various 

 lights, vary to a glossy purple. The belly and 

 vent are dusky ; the back and scapulars beauti- 

 fully variegated with black and white, or cream 

 colour speckled with black, and mixed with 

 deep orange on all the feathers, edged with 

 black. On the lower parts of the back is a 

 mixture of green ; the quills are dusky, freckled 

 with white. The wing-coverts are brown, 

 glossed with green, and edged with white ; 

 the rump is a pale reddish brown, and the two 

 middle feathers of the tail are about twenty 

 inches long; the shortest on each side less 

 than five, and are of a reddish brown, marked 

 with tranverse bars of black. The legs are 

 dusky, with a short blunt spur on each ; but in 

 some old birds, the spurs are sharp as needles, 

 and between the toes there is a strong mem- 

 brane. The female is a good deal less, and is 

 not gifted with that variety and brilliancy of 

 plumage which characterises the male. Her 

 general colours are light and dark brown, mixed 

 \yith blaclv ; the breaat and belly are beauti- 

 546 



fully freckled with small black spots on a light 

 ground ; the tail is short, and barred, some- 

 what resembling that of the male, but not so 

 strikingly interesting ; the space around and 

 about the eye is covered with feathers. The 

 common pheasant is generally found in low 

 and woody localities, on the borders of plains, 

 on which they delight to gambol and sport ; 

 during the night they roost on the branches 

 of trees. They are distinguished by a great 

 shyness, and do not associate much together, 

 except during the months of March and April, 

 when the male is in quest of the female ; they 

 are then easily known by the noise which they 

 make in crowing and clapping their wings, and 

 which may be heard at a considerable distance. 

 The hens make their nests on the ground, like 

 the partridge, and lay from twelve to fifteen 

 olive-coloured eggs, which are smaller than 

 those of the domestic hen. The young run 

 after the mother as soon as freed from the 

 shell. During the breeding season, it has 

 been often ascertained that the cock pheasant 

 will intermix with the common hen, and pro- 

 duce a hybrid breed. 



Sir William Jardine, in his Naturalisfs Li- 

 hrarif, tells us, that it is now generally admitted 

 that the pheasant was originally introduced 

 into Europe from the banks of the Phasis (now 

 the Eioni), a river in Colchis, in Asia Minor. 

 The Greeks, in the ascent of the stream, were 

 attracted by their beauty; and the bird being 

 so easily domesticated, a valuable addition to 

 the luxury of themselves and Romans was soon 

 secured, and rapidly extended itself over the 

 southern countries of Europe, They appeared 

 at the expensive and superabundant repasts of 

 the ancients ; and, for a time, bore the palm 

 for novelty ; and lieliogabalus, in his ostenta- 

 tious displays, is said to have fed the lions of 

 his menagerie with them. The pheasant may 

 be said to have been originally restricted to 

 the Asiatic continent, extending over the 

 greater part of it, and reaching to China, and 

 the confines of Tartary. 



