PHEASANT. 



189 



in tolerable plenty, breeding in the woods,* and afford full sport to 

 those who delight in the gun. They deposit the eggs, twelve or more 

 in number, on the ground, among long grass, the colour greenish 

 white, rounded in shape, and smaller than those of an Hen;f the 

 young follow the mother like chickens. The male crows somewhat 

 like a Cock, and it is said will now and then come into the adjoining 

 farm yards, and produce cross breeds with the Hens. 



M. SalerneJ remarks, that the Hen Pheasant, when done laying 

 and sitting, will get the plumage of the male, and after that become 

 so little respected by him, as to be treated with the same incivility as 

 he would shew to one of his own sex. He mentions this as a new 

 observation, but it is far more common than generally supposed, and 

 had been long before mentioned by Mr. Edwards.§ A gentleman 

 of my acquaintance, now dead, who used to keep these birds for his 

 amusement, observed the same to me ; and the late Mr. J. Hunter 

 has given his sentiments scientifically in the Phil. Trans. \\ to the 

 same purport; but in addition to this, it appears, that it does not 

 always require mature age to give the Hen Pheasant the appearance 

 of the male, as sometimes young birds will be adorned with his fine 



* They not only frequent woods in preference, but chiefly such as are adjoining to cul- 

 tivated land ; are fond of buck-wheat ; most partial to beech and oak woods, being very 

 fond of the mast of the former, and the acorns of the oak, which they swallow whole. Dr. 

 Lamb informed me, that having killed one in Berkshire, in October 1792, he found eleven 

 acorns whole, with some others half digested, besides wheat, in the stomach. 



•f Said to weigh 1 oz. and 1 drain (zwey loth and l-16th theilchen). — Naturf. xiv. s. 49. 



J Ornith. § This author gave for example one kept in the Menagerie of the 



Duke of Leeds; and remarks, that this change is most likely to happen when in a confined 

 state. The circumstance of the Hen acquiring the plumage of the Cock, after a certain 

 time, is not confined to the Pheasant ; the instance of a Peahen belonging to Lady Tynte, 

 beforementioned, evinces the contrary, not only gaining much of the fine plumage of the 

 male, but a great portion also of the fine feathers of the train. The female also of the Rock 

 Manakin is said to gain the plumage of the opposite sex, after a number of years, and pro- 

 bably may turn out to be the case with many other birds. M. Levaillant mentions, having 

 once found a Cuckow in the male dress ; on opening it he found an egg, ready to be ex- 

 cluded.* || Vol. lxx. 527. 



* See Vol. iii. of this Work, p. 289. 



