DOMESTICATED WILD. 135 



berland, kept a brace of pheasants, in a domesticated 

 state. The hen laid the surprising number of 

 seventy-four eggs. A gentleman at Birmingham, 

 also, has a wild hen pheasant in his garden, the hen 

 laying. They are familiar with their feeders, but 

 cannot bear the sight of a stranger. In 1826, a soli- 

 tary cock pheasant made his appearance as far north 

 as a valley of the Grampians, being the first that had 

 been seen in that northern region. 



Charles Waterton, Esq. of Walton Hall, has given 

 an article on pheasants in the Magazine of Natural 

 History. In his opinion this bird, from its apparent 

 domestic habits, ought no longer to be deemed game, 

 fera naturd, but to be liberated and classed with do- 

 mestic poultry. This, however, is of small consequence 

 to the public, since the demand for pheasants is so 

 amply supplied, and materially on account of the supe- 

 riority in quality of the wild pheasant. The pheasant 

 crows at all seasons on retiring to roost, repeating the 

 call often during the night, and at early dawn ; fre- 

 quently also in the day time, on the appearance of an 

 snemy, the report of a gun, or during a thunder-storm. 

 Mr. "W. is of opinion that the pheasant does not pair. 

 (This is probable, but not exactly ascertained.) The 

 hen lays from seven to eighteen eggs; in general, 

 the nest contains about twelve. This writer observes, 

 that it would be impossible to retain a breed of phea- 

 sants in the country, without the security of preserves 

 to a moderate extent ; at the same time, without equal 

 rationality and public spirit, declaring against the 

 barbarity, folly, and extravagance of the battu, to 

 which he observes, that the danger to be incurred 



