CHAPTEE IT. 



NATURAL HISTORY OF THE PHEASANTS 

 (OONTINUED). 



NUN DOMESTICITY — INTIJODUCTION INTO 

 BRITAIN— DISTRIT.UTION. 



^pT LS sniiietiviies sii_<>-gested liy persons ignoraTit <>t 

 '■ the true nature of the jihcasaut, tliat it might be 



m& 



doniesticat.ed ami reared like uiii' urdiuary farm- 

 yard fewl. Snch persons are apparently not aware 

 that the instiuet of dumesticatiou is one of the rarest 

 I ptossessed liy animals. Man has been f(jr s(.ime thou- 



sands of years eaptnring, subduing, and taming hundreds oi 

 different species of aniniufs of all elas'^es ; but of these the 

 nund)(.'r that he has sueeeeded in I'eally domesticating does 

 not amount to tifty. A ve'i-y largi' proportion of animals 

 are callable of being tamed, and rendered perlectly iamiliar 

 with man; fniL this is a totally distinct stati' from one of 

 domestii-ation. The common pheasant is a good example <_if 

 this dislmction. Iudi\'iilu;d examples may be rendered So 

 tame as to Ijecome even troublesome from their courage and 

 familiarity ; but although others have been bred in a.vianes for 

 nranv generation'^, tlieu' olTspnng still retain their lU'iginal wild- 

 ness, and whrii let otit at large betake themselves to the woods 

 and coverts as soon as they are aide to shift lor themselves. 

 On the other hnaid, the allied species, the jungle fowl [Galium 

 fcri-nijiiieus), t\\i: original of our donu'stic breeds (jf ponltry, 

 if reared in c(,)nlinenieiit, becomes nnmetliately domesticated. 



