PHEASANTS. 121 



out of a tree in the open. This was in the Bing-Wu district, 

 quite open country, and without any available cover near at 

 hand, an explanation, doubtless, of the use made of a big 

 evergreen tree, an ilex, if I remember rightly. Three or 

 four went away from the top of this tree almost altogether, 

 then another, and finally a fine young cock which had foolishly 

 remained a little too long and was brought to bag. 



It would be both interesting and instructive to have the 

 opinion of a few typical Chinese farmers respecting the 

 damage done to their crops by pheasants. That they do 

 most unquestionably eat an immense amount of grain when 

 they get the chance is certain, and it is probably this fact 

 which enables country people to look on with indifference, if 

 not approval, when the marauders are shot. They are always 

 willing to tell where they believe pheasants are to be found, 

 and in case of lost birds will give the direction in which they 

 were seen to go, though to the unsophisticated foreigner a 

 reply like "flown towards the west" is not very enlightening. 

 Whether the Chinese recognize the counter-balancing fact 

 that game is responsible for the destruction of vast numbers 

 of wire-worms and other enemies to the farmer, I cannot say. 

 Probably the majority of the country people are sufficiently 

 Buddhistic to have at least a little objection to the taking of 

 life and that is doubtless one reason why multitudes of birds 

 may at times be found in thickly populated districts. Gun- 

 powder, too, is dear, and the primitive gingal even dearer, and 

 hence few of the ordinary peasantry take to sport of any sort. 



Men differ in their opinion as to thebestsizeshottousefor 

 pheasants but the variety in Chinashootinghasbeenonecause 

 of the discovery of wide possibilities. Out after snipe, for 

 example, with No. 9 and No. 8 in the right and left barrels 

 respectively, (this is an experience of my own) a pheasant 

 goes up at convenient range and comes down to the smaller 

 number. That is the extreme in one direction. The other 

 occurred when waterfowl were expected, and No. 1 was the 

 charge. But in ordinary cases the choice seems to range 

 between Nos. 6 and 4. I had particularly good practice one 

 year with some Ballistite No. 6 cartridges. That seems to 

 serve very well, and if the powder is straight does for almost 

 anything except geese. 



With the close of the China New Year, pheasant shooting 

 should absolutely cease. It might be better were the date 

 advanced a little, but that is impossible when we remember 

 that China New holidays rank as one of the principal up- 

 country seasons of the year. But once that is done with the 

 stricter the law is the better. Not many years ago. there 

 was some fear that the China pheasant would follow the 

 American bison, and be known only in a few closely protected 



