NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 89 



tail to the spot where he wishes to settle. 

 In a wood he uses the branches of the 

 trees to break the force of his flight, while 

 in the open he runs rapidly for several 

 yards on alighting, before stopping to 

 look about him. It is often said that the 

 height of a pheasant's flight is entirely 

 regulated by the height of the trees he 

 has to surmount. This is by no means 

 correct, for any pheasant flying home with 

 visible reasons for alarm between him and 

 his destination, will rise as high as he can 

 in the intervening space, quite independ- 

 ently of any physical obstacles. 



The voice of the cock-pheasant is so 

 commonly heard in the land, that no 

 attempt to render it on paper in uncouth 

 phonetics is necessary. All the year 

 round the pheasant greets the rising, and 

 speeds the departing sun with his vocal 

 efforts. On frosty mornings and in early 

 spring one cock will often call and set 

 every rival in the wood crowing in answer, 

 a regular concert of cocks being also 

 produced by any loud report, such as a 



