l8o MEMOIRS OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB 



Mr. Damsell^ furnishes two February records for 1902 : February 16 and 27. 

 In 1916, the first Bluebird was not seen until April i. 



In active courtship the male Bluebird sings rapturously both in the air and on 

 a perch. In the latter case he elevates and flutters his wings and jumps up 

 and down. 



The Bluebird may be added to the list of birds that visit the salt-marsh. I 

 have occasionally seen it in the black-grass zone. 



Introduced Species. 



I Phasianus torquatus Gmel. 



Ring Pheasant. 

 Common permanent resident. 



Notwithstanding the large numbers that are shot every open season, this bird 

 holds its own. 



On January 4, 1913, in a westerly gale a dead cock Pheasant was found lying 

 in the gutter of my house at Ipswich. On examination I found that the muscles 

 of the breast were ruptured and the breast-bone badly splintered, but there was 

 no injury to the plumage or skin. It would seem that the bird in very rapid flight 

 urged on by the gale had been instantly killed by striking a chimney. 



In courtship the ear-tufts of the cock are erected and the bare skin about 

 the eyes is prominent and very red. He struts before the hens turning in all 

 directions to display his gorgeous plumage, or walks with an exaggerated bobbing 

 motion. Every now and again he flaps his wings almost inaudibly, crows and 

 flaps again with a loud clapping sound. 



In flight, like all gallinaceous birds, the Pheasant carries the feet extended 

 under the tail. 



A low wire-fence I have put up to keep cotton-tail rabbits out of my vege- 

 table patch, has had a deterring effect on Pheasants also. I am inclined to think 

 these birds are more apt to run into the garden from the fields than to fly in. At 

 one time they were very destructive to niy sweet corn, reaching up from the 

 ground and pecking through the envelopes to the kernels. 



In the autumn the Pheasant is commonly to be found in the salt-marshes. 

 On October 26, 19 13, I started eight of these birds in a small area of salt-marsh 

 at Ipswich. I suppose they eat crabs and snails but have no exact evidence. 



1 Allen, G. M. Auk, vol. 30, p. 29, 1913. 



