36 PHEASANTS FOB COVEBTS AND AVIABIES. 



obligingly informed me that, since its introduction twelve or 

 fifteen years ago, it has become fairly established, although it 

 has not increased to the extent that might have been expected 

 in a more favourable locality. ' The deep drains in the peat 

 moss', writes Sir James, ' are supposed to be the cause of the 

 death of the young chicks by their falling into them. For 

 some years at first there was a want of covert for pheasants, 

 bat they are now better off in this respect, and are increasing 

 gradually. Some of the first brood wandered about sixteen 

 miles to the west side of the island, it is supposed in quest of 

 covert.' " 



The introduction of the pheasant into the northern 

 districts of Scotland is, however, of comparatively recent 

 date, for in the sixth edition of Mowbray's "Domestic 

 Poultry," 1830, it is stated: "In 1826, a solitary cock 

 pheasant made his appearance as far north as a valley of 

 the Grampians, being the first that had been seen in that 

 northern region " ; and my old friend, Andrew Halliday, told 

 me that he remembered perfectly the introduction of the 

 birds into the coverts near Banff belonging to the Earl of 

 Fife, in which locality, Thomas Edwards, the Scottish 

 naturalist, whose life has been so graphically written by Mr. 

 Smiles, tells us it now seems to thrive very well, and is a 

 beautiful ornament to parks and woods. 



Messrs. Buckley and Harvie-Brown, in the " Fauna of the 

 Orkney Islands," relate several unsuccessful attempts to in- 

 troduce pheasants as wild birds into Orkney, which was only 

 to be expected as there are no trees. 



In Ireland it is also abundant, the common species being, 

 according to Mr. Thompson, the well-known natural historian 

 of the island, frequent in the various wooded parts, at least 

 where it has been protected and preserved. " In the counties 

 of Antrim and Down," remarks this writer, " the ring-necked 

 variety — considered to have originally proceeded from a cross 

 between the common and true ring-necked pheasant (P. 

 torquatus) — is not uncommon." 



