220 PHEASANTS FOR COVERTS AND AVIARIES. 



ill Thompson's "Natural History of Ireland," Vol. II., p. 2k 

 Mr. Sinclaire writes : 



" Golden Pheasants are very easily reared in confinement, 

 and are quite as Lardy as any of the other pheasants, or as 

 any of our domestic fowls; indeed, I question if any of them 

 are sooner ahle to provide a subsistence for- themselves, or to 

 live independent of the parent bii'd. In the several years' 

 expei'ience I have had in the rearing of these Inrds, I have 

 considered them past all dang-er when they arrived at the age 

 of three or four weeks ; in fact, at that age those which I 

 bront>lit up in the garden began to leave the bantam hen 

 which hatched them and take to the gooseberry bushes to 

 perch at night, and very soon after to the apple trees. 1 

 always observed that they roosted at the exti-emity of the 

 branches, where they were quite safe from the attacks of cats 

 or other vermin. This habit, together with their very earlj' 

 disjjositioii to roost at night, loads me to infer that their 

 introduction into this country' as a game bii'd would not be 

 ditficnlt; and that in (lur hirge demesnes, where pmtected 

 from shooters, tliey would lieconie very numerous. But I 

 should imagine that the^r wonld not answer where the 

 common jihea^auts were already introduced, as they are shy, 

 timid birds, and wonld l)e easily di-iven off bv the other 

 species. The individiuils before referreil t^^ which were 

 rearcil in the garden, c(jnsisteil of a f;iniily of six ; they 

 always I'emained in the garden, where they wei'e regularly 

 fed, exce]:it at the C(jmmencement of winter, when they ceased 

 r(j(iSling in the apple ti-ees, took to a belt of Scotch firs which 

 l)ounded tli(_' garden (jn one side, ami rriosted in them all the 

 winter and following spring. I have seen them sitting in the 

 trees wlien the branches were laden with snow, Imt they did 

 not seem to suffer in the slightest degree frcjin the severity of 

 wiutei-. About the immth of February ihey first began to 

 wander from the gurdeii for short distances, and, as the 

 s])ring advanced, finally disajipeared, and I never could hear 

 of their being met with afterwards. 



