136 



NATURAL HISTOSI. 



It is doubtful whether the Pheasant would survive in England if left entirely to itself, as it 

 depends a good deal on the amount of artificial food which is supplied to it in preserves, while 

 most of the rearing of the young is entrusted to the care of domestic fowls instead of being left 

 to the protection of the hen Pheasant. The latter has many enemies, and nesting as it does on 

 the gro\ind, runs great risk of being carried off by a prowling fox or cat. The eggs are from ten to 

 fourteen in number, and are of an olive-brown colour ; they are placed on the ground, and there is 

 scarcely any attempt at a nest. The sitting-bird is said to be timid, and is frightened off the nest 

 even by such a small thing as a crawling snail, while at any real danger she sinks upon the 



MONAUL, OR IMPEYAN PHEASANT. 



nest half dead with fear. Timidity is a great characteristic of the common Pheasant, and even 

 when artificially reared in hen-coops, the young birds never become tame like chickens, but always 

 come for their food in a timid and half frightened manner. As a rule, the Pheasant frequents the 

 thick woods for the purpose of roosting only, as in the daytime it seeks its food, which consists 

 of grain, seeds, green shoots, and insects, among hedge-bottoms and thickets with long grass and 

 tolerably dense undergrowth ; it also affects damp ground and osier beds. In the spring the cock 

 bird is often heard crowing, and at that season of the year he comes out from his woodland retreats 

 and is often seen in the open. The Pheasant is polygamous, and is very tenacious of his own 

 domain, driving every other male bird of his species away. At this season his plumage is very 

 beautiful, and the red comb at the sides of his head becomes more brilliant in colour. 



The splendid Reeves's Pheasant (Phasianus reevesii) must also be mentioned. It is a native 

 of China, and is remarkable for its long banded tail, which often exceeds five feet in length. 



