THE PHEASANT. 141 



predations of the poachers. A spirit of independence 

 seems to attend the pheasant even in captivity : lu 

 a wild state, the hen pheasant lays from fifteen to 

 twenty eggs ; but when domesticated seldom more 

 than ten. Also, when at liberty, she hatches and 

 rears her brood with patience, vigilance, and courage; 

 but, when kept tame, she never sits well (and fre- 

 quently will not sit at all), so that a domestic hen is 

 generally substituted on such occasions ; nor when 

 in captivity does she seem to be conscious of the ne- 

 cessity of leading her young to their food, and the 

 brood would quickly perish if left solely to her pro- 

 tection. This bird, therefore, seems better left at 

 large, as its fecundity is sufficient to stock the forest, 

 its elegant plumage adonis it, arid its flesh retains a 

 higher flavour from its unlimited freedom. 



Pheasants do not pair like partridges ; the cock is 

 very salacious, and is sufficient for a number of hens. 

 Occasionally, however, they seem to pair, as the male 

 and female are sometimes observed to stray from the 

 preserves, and breed in some distant situation. They 

 are much attached to thickets and woods, where the 

 grass is very longj but they frequently breed also in 

 clover fields. They form their nests on the ground, 

 much in the same manner as the partridge ; and their 

 eggs are smaller than those of a domestic hen. In 

 mowing clover near the woods frequented by these 

 birds, the destruction of their eggs is sometimes very 

 great : gamekeepers, therefore, should be careful to 

 drive them from clover fields as soon as they begin 



