RUFFED GROUS. 21 



woods, with great steadiness and rapidity, till she was beyond 

 my sight, leaving me in great surprise at the incident. I made 

 a very close and active search around the spot for the rest, but 

 without success. Here was a striking instance of something more 

 than what is termed blind instinct, in this remarkable deviation 

 from her usual manoeuvres, when she has a numerous brood. It 

 would have been impossible for me to injure this affectionate 

 mother, who had exhibited such an example of presence of 

 mind, reason and sound judgment, as must have convinced the 

 most bigotted advocates of mere instinct. To carry off a whole 

 brood in this manner, at once, would have been impossible, and 

 to attempt to save one at the expense of the rest would be un- 

 natural. She therefore usually takes the only possible mode of 

 saving them in that case, by decoying the person in pursuit of 

 herself, by such a natural imitation of lameness as to impose on 

 most people. But here, in the case of a single solitary young 

 one, she instantly altered her plan, and adopted the most simple 

 and effectual means for its preservation. 



The Pheasant generally springs within a few yards, with aloud 

 whirring noise, and flies with great vigour through the woods, 

 beyond reach of view, before it alights. With a good dog how- 

 ever, they are easily found; and at some times exhibit a singu- 

 lar degree of infatuation, by looking down, from the branches 

 where they sit, on the dog below, who, the more noise he keeps 

 up, seems the more to confuse and stupify them, so that they 

 may be shot down, one by one, till the whole are killed, without 

 attempting to fly off. In such cases, those on the lower limbs 

 must be taken first, for should the upper ones be first killed, in 

 their fall they alarm those below, who immediately fly off. In 

 deep snows they are usually taken in traps, commonly dead 

 traps, supported by a figure 4 trigger. At this season, when sud- 

 denly alarmed, they frequently dive into the snow, particularly 

 when it has newly fallen, and coming out at a considerable dis- 

 tance, again take wing. They are pretty hard to kill, and will 

 often carry off a large load to the distance of two hundred yards, 

 and drop down dead. Sometimes in the depth of winter they 



