1.52 HISTORY OF 



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 me- 

 thod that appears very peculiar. The pheasant 

 is a very bold bird when first brought into the 

 yard among other poultry, not sparing the pea- 

 cock, 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 common hen. The breed thus produced 

 takes much stronger after the pheasant than the 

 hen ; and in a few successions, if they be let to 

 breed with the cock-pheasant, for the mixture is 

 not barren, there will be produced a species more 

 tame, stronger, and more prolific ; so that he 

 adds, that it is strange why most of our pheasant- 

 ries are not stocked with birds produced in this 

 manner. 



The pheasant, when full grown, seems to feed 

 indifferently upon every thing that offers. 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 kill- 

 ed as many pheasants as crows. It is even assert- 

 ed by some, that such is the carnivorous disposi- 

 tion of this bird, that when several of them are 

 put together in the same yard, if one of them 

 happens to fall sick, or seems to be pining, that 

 all the rest will fall upon, kill, and devour it. 

 Such is the language of books ; those who have 

 frequent opportunities of examining the manners 



