NATUEAL HISTORY OF THE PHEASANTS. 



imperfect attempts of a young fowl, may be heard frequently. It is followed, and 

 not preceded as in the game cock, by the clapping of the wings ; the ■ pheasant and 

 the domestic cock invariably reversing the order of the succession of these two 

 actions. Like the domestic fowl, pheasants will also answer any loud noise, occurring 

 either by day or night; they have been noticed replying regularly to the signal 

 gun at ShomcUffe, which is fired at sunrise and sunset, and this in coverts situated 

 some miles distant ; and the practice with the heavy guns at the various military 

 stations, will often cause a chorus of "cucketing" in all the coverts for a great 

 distance round. 



The display of the plumage during courtship by the males varies in almost 

 every species of gallinaceous birds. That of the pheasant has been carefully described 

 by Mr. T. W. Wood, in his interesting article on "The Courtship of Birds" {The 

 Student, April, 1870). Pheasants seem to possess no other mode of display than 

 the lateral or one-sided method. In this the males disport themselves so as to 

 exhibit to the females a greater number of their beautifiil feathers than could other- 

 wise be seen at one view. The peculiar attitude assumed by the male is correctly 

 shown in the vignette on page 13 ; the wing of the side nearest the female is partly 

 opened and depressed, precisely in the same manner as performed by the male of the 

 common fowl, and in addition the tail is expanded, and the upper surface turned 

 towards the same side, whilst the bright vermilion skin around the eye is greatly 

 extended, and the little purple aigrettes erected. Singular modifications of' this 

 method of display occur in the Argus and the Golden Pheasant and other species, 

 which will be noticed in the chapters relating to those birds. 



In a state of nature there is little doubt that the pheasant is polygamous. 

 The males are armed with spurs, with which they fight, the stronger driving away 

 the weaker, and the most vigorous propagate their kind. 



The nest of the female is usually a simple hollow scraped in the ground. 

 After depositing her eggs (usually about eight or nine in number) she is deserted 

 by the male, and the task of incubation and rearing the young depends on her 

 alone. The eggs vary in colour from a greenish brown to a greyish green ; in size 

 they are, on the average, an inch and five-sixths in length, by an inch and five- 

 twelfths in width. The period of incubation is twenty-four days. 



Hen pheasants, like common fowls, not unfrequently have nests in common, 

 in which case as many as eighteen or twenty eggs will be found together. Some- 

 times three hens will take to the same nest, and as many as thirty eggs have been 

 seen resulting from their copartnership. It is still more singular that the pheasant 

 and the partridge often share the same nest. Mr. "Walter Yate, of Pemberton, 

 Shropshire, stated, "About a week ago one of my workmen informed me that he 

 had found a nest containing both partridge's and pheasant's eggs. I accompanied 

 him to the place, and there saw the pheasant and partridge seated side by side 



