The Ring-Necked Pheasant 3 



she was scarcely noticeable. Several years ago a Pheasant scooped out and 

 lined a hollow between the ties just outside the rails of our local trolley line, 

 where both passenger and freight cars are passing frequently. It was only a few 

 feet from a switch and was found by one of the brakemen, who flushed her 

 before the eggs were laid, and she never came back to the nest. The nest is 

 almost sure to be deserted if found before the set is complete, and many times 

 even after incubation is commenced. 



In summer, the principal food of the Pheasants seems to be insects, such 



PHEASANT OX NEST 



as grasshoppers, June bugs, and caterpillars, and they often destroy ant-hills, 

 eating the ants, but as the season advances they do some damage to grain and 

 corn. In September, they congregate in the valley around the marsh and lake, 

 where they can be found gleaning the fields that have been harvested. 



After the snows cover their natural food-supply, many of them can be seen 

 patrolling the shores of the lake in company with Crows, Herring Gulls, and 

 Black Ducks, searching for food in the weeds that the breakers have washed 

 ashore. During very cold spells, when they get their tails wet, snow adheres 

 to them, freezing on and causing them much inconvenience. I once flushed a 

 hen Pheasant that had a great bunch of snow and ice adhering to her tail, 

 weighting her down so much that it was with great difficulty that she managed 

 to rise and fly away. 



