PHEASANT. 5 



daylight it will often crow on the occurrence of any sudden disturbance or noise such 

 as a gunshot or peal of thunder. 



The possession of habits such as we have detailed, cannot fail to render the Pheasant 

 an easy prey to the poacher; and as, in order to be able to cope with him, we must be 

 aware of the stratagems to which he resorts, we will now describe the various modes in 

 which this bird is feloniously abstracted from its native preserves. The most usual and deadly 

 method of destruction is undoubtedly by the fowling-piece; and various are the changes and 

 alterations which this weapon undergoes to enable the poacher to carry it without detection 

 to the scene of his labours. We have now before our mind's eye a particularly curious 

 instrument of this kind, which was taken along with its owner, on the manor of a friend 

 of ours, where it had just killed a fine Cock Pheasant; it and he were taken indeed 'flagrante 

 delicto.' The gun consisted of a stock of the smallest and rudest home manufacture, quite 

 capable of concealment in the coat pocket; a large old-fashioned flint musket lock was 

 roughly attached to it, and it was fitted with a small short barrel, composed of a piece 

 of thin iron tubing, about six inches long, soldered on to the barrel of an ancient horse 

 pistol, making altogether a tube of some seventeen or eighteen inches in length. To all 

 appearance it would have been much more likely to carry death, or injury to its owner, 

 than to anything at which it was aimed, and yet it was used effectively, certainly on 

 one occasion. We have seen other poaching guns, but never another at all comparable 

 to this one for rudeness and apparent clanger. As is usual in all deeds of darkness, the 

 time chosen by the poacher for shooting the Pheasant is after it has retired to roost for 

 the night ; it is not often that the Pheasant-poacher goes out alone, for he is well aware 

 that on the first sound of his gun he will have the keepers upon him, and in that case 

 he must beat a retreat, or be taken; his more usual plan is to join with a number of 

 other similarly-intentioned people with himself, and then take the covers by storm; and if 

 the keepers venture to come in contact with them, a general fight ensues, which too often 

 ends in bloodshed. "We believe, indeed, that the mere fact of these men being out on an 

 illegal expedition, without any actual intention to inflict personal injury, leads them to 

 the frequent commission of the most serious of crimes. 



We well remember, some years ago, conversing with a man, who was under sentence 

 of death for shooting a keeper, but who was afterwards transported; some mitigating 

 circumstances having transpired. On asking him what induced him to commit such a 

 crime, as shooting the unfortunate keeper in the deliberate way that it appeared in 

 evidence he did; he said, that he really could not tell how it was ; he and his companions 

 were suddenly attacked by the keepers; that he had no intention of killing or injuring 

 any one, but that it all occurred in a moment; nor could he give 'any other account, 

 though apparently quite willing to afford us every information. 



Another very destructive method of poaching, and which is always carried on by a 



