NEW EXGLAND FARRIER. 



Aug. 



ENGLISH PHEASANTS. 



English farmers have one class of troubles 

 and one source of annoyance, from which 

 American farmers are happily exempt ; we al- 

 lude to the peculations of animals protected by 

 game laws, and the privileges exercised by 

 sportsmen. From the Norman conquest to the 

 present day the game laws have been more or 

 less severe. Originally the killing of one of the 

 king's deers was equally penal with murdering 

 one of his subjects. In 1389 it was enacted 

 that "no manner of artificer, laborer, nor any 

 other la} men who hath not lands and tene- 

 ments to the value of forty shillings by the 

 year, nor any priest or other clerk if he be not 

 advanced to the value of ten pounds by the 

 year," shall keep hunting dogs or use other 

 means of killing game, upon pain of one year's 

 imprisonment. The property qualification was 

 abolished in 1831, and a certificate or license, 

 costing nearly twenty dollars, must be taken 

 out annually, to give one the right. 



The law is still very severe against killing 

 game on any land by unauthorized persons, 

 and as the enforcement of the laws is in the 

 hands of the class interested in preserving game, 

 it is most rigidly enforced, and the privileged 

 owners and hunters claim rights for themselves 

 and their game that Yankee farmers would be 

 very unwilling to concede. 



In addition to deers, foxes, hares, &c., sev- 

 eral kinds of birds are protected by the game 

 laws of England. Among these we often see 

 pheasants named, and read accounts of pheas- 

 ant shooting. 



Peacocks, turke3S, Guinea hens, &c., are 

 sometimes, we believe, included under the 

 general name of Pheasant ; but the word now 

 is generally applied only to a single species, 

 of which there are several varieties, two of 

 which are represented by our illustrations. 



The first cut shows a pair of Common 

 Pheasants. The male is about three feet 

 long, of which the tail is one-half; color 

 bright rufous above ; head and neck blue with 

 green and golden reflection, and variegated 

 with black and white ; the cheeks bare and 

 red ; the side and lower parts purplibh chest- 

 nut. The ft male is smaller, brownish gray, 

 varied with rt!dd"it.h and dusky. 

 Golden Pheasant. 



This magnificent bird is described by Mr. 

 Wright as follows : — The head bears a crest of 

 beautiful amber-colored feathers. The back 

 of the head and neck is of a beautifal orange 

 red, passing low down the breast into a deep 

 scarlet, which is the color of the under parts. 

 The neck feathers are arranged like plate-ar- 

 mor, and are often erected by the bird. The 



