PHEASANT. 227 



easy mark they offer to the sportsman, would soon 

 complete their destruction. 



The Pheasant is in many respects a foolish 

 bird. On being roused, it will often perch on a 

 neighbouring tree, where its attention will be so 

 fixed on the dogs as to suffer the sportsman to 

 approach Very near. At the time they perch they 

 most frequently crow, or make a chuckling noise 

 called cocketing. The hens on flying up utter 

 one shrill whistle, and then are silent. Poachers 

 avail themselves of these notes to discover the 

 roosting places, where they shoot them with the 

 greatest certainty ; or, where the woods are well 

 watched, they light a number of brimstone matches 

 at the end of a pole, and the moment the sul- 

 phurous fumes reach the birds, they drop off the 

 perch. Other means are also adopted for catching 

 them with nooses made of wire, horse-hair twisted, 

 or even with briars set in the form of a noose, at 

 the verge of a wood. The birds entangle them- 

 selves in these as they run, morning and evening, 

 into the adjacent fields to feed. Foxes also destroy 

 great numbers, particularly females when sitting 

 on their nest. 



It has been asserted that Pheasants are so shy 

 as not to be tamed without great difficulty ; but 

 where they are in the constant habit of being 

 attended in their coverts by a keeper, they wiU 

 come to feed the instant they hear his whistle ; and 

 will follow him in flocks, and scarcely allow the 

 peas to run from his bag into the troughs placed 

 for the purpose, before they begin to eat : those 



