42 NATURAL HISTORY OF" THE PHEASANT 



construct a hiding place in which they can lie in wait ; 

 on the cleared space they place sheaves of wheat or 

 barley. The pheasants discover this food and flock 

 to pick it up. Then a flock from the ambuscade 

 follows, and often several birds are killed at one shot' 



In some districts the peasants resort to a third 

 method of killing pheasants, which was formerly prac- 

 tised in Europe — viz. they hunt with dogs which do 

 not point the birds, but put them up, and bark until 

 they have forced them to seek refuge in the trees. 

 When the birds perch aloft, the dogs stand under the 

 trees, and continue to bark. The shooter soon arrives, 

 and as the attention of the pheasant is being concen- 

 trated on the dogs, the peasant is pretty sure to get a 

 ' pot-shot ' at the bird. 



The flesh of a fat pheasant is considered most 

 delicate eating ; the Russians generally eat their phea- 

 sants roasted with butter. As the pheasants are 

 generally fattest after harvest, they are much sought 

 after at the end of summer and in early autumn, at 

 which time whole flocks of pheasants roam about in 

 the stubble fields with the cocks at their head. 



The weight of game birds is always a welcome topic 

 at the end of a day's sport. The English-bred pheasant 

 is generally found to scale between three and four 

 pounds. The maximum weight yet attained appears 



