74 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE PHEASANT 



imbecility either in your eye or eare, that neither of 

 these waies sort with your liking, but seem either too 

 tedious or too difficult ; then the most certainest, 

 readiest and easiest way for the finding out of this 

 pleasure, is to have an absolute, perfect, and naturall 

 Pheasant call, of which you must both by practise, and 

 the instruction of the most skilful in that Art, not onely 

 learn all the severall notes and tunes which the Phea- 

 sant useth, but also the severall and distinct applica- 

 tion of them, and the time when, and to what purpose 

 she useth them ; as whether it be to cluck them 

 together when she would broode them, to call them to 

 food and meat when she hath found it, to chide them 

 when they straggle too farre, or to call them together 

 and to make them rejoyce and wanton about her, and 

 to labour and seek for their own livings : for any of all 

 which she hath a severall Note or tune.' 



Markham promises to treat of the bird-call in a 

 particular chapter, but the intention is never carried 

 out. He does, however, admonish us as to the best 

 times for using the pheasant-call : ' Now here is to 

 be understood, that albeit these two particular times 

 of the day, as the earliest of the Morning and the 

 latest of the evening are the best times of the day for 

 the use of the call, and the finding out of the Phea- 

 sants, whether it be by couples, or otherwise the whole 



