﻿EASTERN 
  CHINESE 
  RING-NECKED 
  PHEASANT 
  123 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  extreme 
  youth 
  of 
  the 
  brood, 
  the 
  hen, 
  when 
  suddenly 
  flushed, 
  

   flies 
  off 
  with 
  a 
  roar 
  of 
  wings 
  and 
  a 
  warning 
  cackle, 
  which 
  the 
  chicks 
  understand 
  perfectly. 
  

   They 
  run, 
  scattering 
  in 
  every 
  direction, 
  and 
  after 
  a 
  long 
  period 
  the 
  low 
  cluck 
  of 
  the 
  

   mother 
  is 
  heard, 
  summoning 
  them. 
  They 
  creep, 
  never 
  run, 
  towards 
  her, 
  and 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  

   short 
  grass 
  are 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  detect. 
  Now 
  and 
  then 
  her 
  cluck 
  will 
  continue 
  for 
  

   an 
  hour 
  or 
  more 
  after 
  the 
  chicks 
  . 
  have 
  reached 
  her. 
  Whether 
  this 
  is 
  from 
  sheer 
  

   emotional 
  impetus, 
  or 
  from 
  knowledge 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  chick 
  which 
  has 
  not, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  

   never 
  will, 
  find 
  its 
  way 
  to 
  her, 
  is 
  an 
  open 
  question. 
  Usually 
  the 
  chicks 
  obey 
  swiftly, 
  

   and 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  the 
  whole 
  family 
  has 
  moved 
  off 
  to 
  safer 
  quarters. 
  

  

  After 
  such 
  an 
  experience, 
  if 
  one 
  throws 
  a 
  small 
  stone 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  the 
  pheasants 
  

   have 
  gone, 
  the 
  slight 
  but 
  unusual 
  noise 
  will 
  call 
  forth 
  the 
  warning 
  call, 
  the 
  chicks 
  will 
  

   scatter, 
  but 
  the 
  hen 
  will 
  not 
  fly, 
  merely 
  crouching 
  flat, 
  waiting 
  to 
  see 
  if 
  more 
  immediate 
  

   danger 
  threatens. 
  

  

  A 
  hawk 
  or 
  eagle 
  will 
  cause 
  a 
  crouch, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  danger 
  becomes 
  acute, 
  the 
  hen 
  flies 
  

   at 
  once 
  and 
  dives 
  into 
  the 
  thickest 
  cover. 
  I 
  have 
  several 
  accounts 
  of 
  hens 
  which 
  have 
  

   stood 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  attack 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  hawk 
  and 
  covered 
  the 
  retreat 
  of 
  their 
  young. 
  

  

  Young 
  hens 
  lay 
  fewer 
  eggs 
  than 
  those 
  a 
  year 
  or 
  two 
  older, 
  but 
  the 
  general 
  number 
  

   runs 
  from 
  six 
  to 
  twelve. 
  The 
  birds 
  sometimes 
  breed 
  twice, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  last 
  nest 
  is 
  

   destroyed, 
  another 
  may 
  be 
  made 
  very 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  year. 
  Where 
  Ring-necks 
  are 
  very 
  

   abundant, 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  cocks 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  reduced 
  by 
  shooting, 
  the 
  breeding 
  

   may 
  be 
  very 
  irregular 
  and 
  extend 
  over 
  a 
  considerable 
  period 
  of 
  time. 
  At 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  

   nine 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  feet 
  a 
  nest 
  with 
  three 
  eggs 
  was 
  found 
  on 
  February 
  17, 
  1910, 
  but 
  

   this 
  is 
  an 
  unusually 
  early 
  date, 
  and 
  disastrous 
  in 
  this 
  case, 
  for 
  the 
  succeeding 
  March 
  was 
  

   bitterly 
  cold 
  with 
  heavy 
  falls 
  of 
  snow. 
  April, 
  May 
  and 
  June 
  are 
  the 
  hatching 
  months. 
  

   On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  young 
  birds 
  hardly 
  able 
  to 
  fly 
  have 
  been 
  recorded 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   November, 
  and 
  Maguire 
  writes, 
  that 
  "on 
  Christmas 
  eve, 
  while 
  walking 
  the 
  eleven 
  miles 
  

   from 
  Tung 
  Ling 
  to 
  Tatung, 
  in 
  the 
  province 
  of 
  Anhwei, 
  I 
  came 
  upon 
  a 
  young 
  brood 
  

   with 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  bird 
  larger 
  than 
  a 
  bamboo 
  partridge, 
  and 
  which 
  flew 
  with 
  great 
  

   difficulty, 
  upon 
  receiving 
  the 
  hen's 
  signal 
  to 
  scatter." 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  omnipresent 
  cultivation 
  in 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  Eastern 
  China, 
  the 
  

   vegetarianism 
  of 
  the 
  coolies, 
  and 
  the 
  excellent 
  shelter 
  and 
  abundant 
  food, 
  pheasants 
  

   occasionally 
  become 
  so 
  abundant 
  that 
  the 
  normal 
  safeguards 
  are 
  destroyed. 
  Cocks 
  may 
  

   become 
  so 
  numerous 
  in 
  a 
  locality 
  as 
  to 
  interfere 
  seriously 
  with 
  the 
  breeding. 
  They 
  

   disturb 
  the 
  hens 
  while 
  sitting 
  on 
  the 
  eggs, 
  and 
  often 
  acquire 
  the 
  egg-eating 
  habit, 
  if 
  

   they 
  do 
  not 
  indeed 
  actually 
  kill 
  young 
  birds. 
  Two 
  cocks 
  have 
  been 
  observed 
  to 
  fight 
  so 
  

   fiercely 
  and 
  continuously, 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  driven 
  a 
  hen 
  from 
  the 
  nest 
  and 
  smashed 
  all 
  

   the 
  eggs. 
  

  

  The 
  fighting 
  begins 
  in 
  open 
  years 
  about 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  December, 
  and 
  may 
  last 
  until 
  

   June. 
  One 
  observer 
  tells 
  of 
  four 
  pairs 
  of 
  cocks 
  going 
  fast 
  and 
  furious 
  within 
  an 
  area 
  

   of 
  a 
  few 
  yards. 
  The 
  victor 
  crows 
  once 
  or 
  twice 
  and 
  flies 
  off 
  immediately, 
  not 
  waiting 
  to 
  

   take 
  on 
  a 
  second 
  opponent. 
  

  

  When 
  feeding 
  the 
  head 
  is 
  raised 
  every 
  second 
  or 
  two, 
  bringing 
  the 
  senses 
  of 
  sight 
  

   and 
  hearing 
  into 
  play. 
  When 
  concealed 
  near 
  feeding 
  birds, 
  the 
  snapping 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  

   twig 
  will 
  bring 
  the 
  whole 
  covey 
  to 
  attention 
  with 
  a 
  sharp 
  whistling 
  warning, 
  while 
  the 
  

   slightest 
  crunch 
  of 
  a 
  foot 
  on 
  the 
  gravel 
  will 
  send 
  every 
  bird 
  into 
  a 
  crouch. 
  They 
  are 
  

  

  