THE PHEASANT. 



The characters of the pheasant tribe are a short, convex, and 

 strong bill ; the head more or less covered with carunculated 

 bare flesh on the sides, which, in some species, is continued up- 

 wards to the crown, and beneath so as to hang pendant under 

 each jaw ; and the legs, for the most part, furnished with spurs. 



The females produce many young ones at a brood ; which 

 they take care of for some time, leading them abroad and point- 

 ing out food for them. These are at first clad with a thick, 

 soft down. The nests of the whole tribe are formed on the 

 ground. 



THE PHEASANT. 



This beautiful bird is very common in almost all the southern 

 parts of the old continent, whence it was originally imported 

 into our country. In America it is not known. 



Pheasants are much attached to the shelter of thickets and 

 woods where the grass is very long ; but, like the partridges, 

 they often breed also in clover fields. They form their nests on 

 the ground : and the females lay from twelve to fifteen eggs, 

 which are smaller than those of the domestic hen. In the 

 mowing of clover near the woods frequented by pheasants, the 

 destruction of their eggs is sometimes very greatt Poultry hens 



