﻿EASTERN 
  CHINESE 
  RING-NECKED 
  PHEASANT 
  127 
  

  

  plumage 
  at 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  a 
  hawk, 
  or 
  seek 
  it 
  more 
  slowly 
  when 
  a 
  cold 
  wind 
  chills 
  them, 
  

   or 
  the 
  dusk 
  of 
  early 
  night 
  closes 
  down. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  worst 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  Ring-necked 
  pheasants 
  are 
  the 
  civet 
  cats, 
  all 
  

   species 
  working 
  havoc 
  among 
  the 
  birds. 
  So 
  quietly 
  do 
  the 
  animals 
  make 
  their 
  way 
  and 
  

   so 
  suddenly 
  is 
  their 
  attack 
  launched 
  that 
  even 
  the 
  wariest 
  cock 
  bird 
  seldom 
  escapes. 
  

   Foxes, 
  racoon 
  dogs 
  and 
  weasels 
  are 
  almost 
  as 
  dangerous, 
  and 
  they 
  will 
  destroy 
  eggs 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  sitting 
  birds. 
  Wild 
  cats 
  have 
  been 
  recorded 
  as 
  killing 
  pheasants, 
  but 
  young 
  

   hares 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  their 
  favourite 
  article 
  of 
  diet. 
  Among 
  the 
  hawks, 
  kestrels 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  

   numbered 
  as 
  especially 
  dangerous 
  to 
  young 
  pheasants, 
  while 
  eagles 
  and 
  owls 
  take 
  toll 
  

   from 
  the 
  covies 
  of 
  adult 
  birds. 
  

  

  The 
  necessity 
  for 
  the 
  large, 
  often 
  double 
  broods 
  is 
  probably 
  increased 
  by 
  the 
  never- 
  

   ceasing 
  raids 
  of 
  great 
  black 
  rats 
  and 
  of 
  crows. 
  Both 
  of 
  these 
  creatures 
  hunt 
  in 
  couples 
  

   or 
  larger 
  numbers, 
  and 
  both 
  are 
  bold 
  and 
  powerful 
  enough 
  occasionally 
  to 
  drive 
  a 
  

   pheasant 
  hen 
  from 
  her 
  eggs, 
  especially 
  if 
  she 
  is 
  a 
  young 
  bird 
  with 
  her 
  first 
  nest. 
  

   Rodents 
  and 
  crows 
  then 
  rush 
  in 
  and 
  seize 
  the 
  eggs, 
  the 
  rats 
  carrying 
  them 
  off 
  in 
  their 
  

   mouths 
  and 
  the 
  birds 
  impaling 
  them 
  on 
  their 
  beaks. 
  In 
  a 
  few 
  .minutes 
  all 
  the 
  hopes 
  of 
  

   that 
  pheasant 
  home 
  are 
  blasted. 
  Magpies 
  fulfil 
  a 
  double 
  role, 
  valuable 
  at 
  times 
  as 
  

   friends, 
  as 
  we 
  shall 
  later 
  see, 
  and 
  yet 
  prone 
  to 
  temptation 
  when 
  a 
  nestful 
  of 
  eggs 
  is 
  

   exposed. 
  

  

  The 
  Chinese 
  have 
  a 
  delightful 
  belief 
  in 
  a 
  crowing 
  snake 
  which 
  they 
  call 
  She-kung- 
  

   Chiao, 
  with 
  a 
  head 
  like 
  the 
  scarlet 
  skin 
  of 
  a 
  turkey. 
  The 
  snake 
  is 
  supposed 
  not 
  to 
  crawl, 
  

   but 
  to 
  gather 
  itself 
  together 
  and 
  spring 
  ahead 
  with 
  successive 
  leaps. 
  As 
  it 
  progresses, 
  

   it 
  utters 
  a 
  crow 
  so 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  cock 
  Ring-neck 
  that 
  the 
  bird 
  is 
  attracted 
  by 
  its 
  

   supposed 
  challenge, 
  and 
  when 
  sufficiently 
  near, 
  is 
  seized 
  and 
  killed. 
  The 
  Chinese 
  are 
  

   in 
  mortal 
  fear 
  of 
  this 
  marvel, 
  and 
  when 
  an 
  unusual 
  pheasant's 
  crow 
  is 
  heard 
  in 
  a 
  

   certain 
  place, 
  which 
  they 
  attribute 
  to 
  the 
  reptile, 
  nothing 
  will 
  induce 
  them 
  to 
  

   approach. 
  

  

  While 
  hardly 
  to 
  be 
  classed 
  as 
  a 
  friend, 
  yet 
  wild 
  pheasants 
  may 
  often 
  be 
  seen 
  feeding 
  

   in 
  close 
  proximity 
  to 
  native 
  dogs, 
  and 
  about 
  farm-houses 
  the 
  two 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  together 
  

   with 
  no 
  signs 
  of 
  unfriendliness. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  this 
  association 
  may 
  possibly 
  lie 
  in 
  the 
  

   comparative 
  absence 
  of 
  vermin, 
  such 
  as 
  rats 
  and 
  weasels, 
  where 
  dogs 
  are 
  abundant. 
  

   Magpies, 
  however 
  unconsciously, 
  do 
  the 
  pheasants 
  good 
  turns, 
  and 
  many 
  a 
  shot 
  have 
  I 
  

   missed, 
  when 
  stalking 
  birds, 
  by 
  having 
  one 
  or 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  magpies 
  discover 
  me, 
  and 
  lift 
  

   their 
  raucous 
  voices 
  to 
  heaven, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  ears 
  of 
  the 
  pheasants. 
  

  

  Domestic 
  fowls 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  pheasants 
  are 
  guarded 
  by 
  these 
  chattering 
  birds, 
  and 
  the 
  

   Chinese 
  housewife 
  will 
  often 
  rush 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  and 
  bang 
  loudly 
  on 
  a 
  gong 
  when 
  she 
  

   hears 
  their 
  chorus, 
  thus 
  summoning 
  the 
  flocks 
  of 
  fowls 
  to 
  safety, 
  and 
  alarming 
  the 
  

   approaching 
  civet 
  cat. 
  The 
  magpies 
  flutter 
  from 
  bush 
  to 
  bush 
  ahead 
  of 
  the 
  creature 
  

   they 
  have 
  discovered, 
  occasionally 
  barging 
  down 
  at 
  him 
  with 
  an 
  uproar 
  of 
  chattering, 
  

   and 
  making 
  his 
  life 
  miserable 
  until 
  he 
  succeeds 
  in 
  slinking 
  away 
  out 
  of 
  sight. 
  The 
  

   hunter 
  fares 
  no 
  better 
  when 
  he 
  has 
  been 
  unfortunate 
  enough 
  to 
  attract 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  

   a 
  flock 
  of 
  these 
  black-and-white 
  busybodies. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  laws, 
  and 
  very 
  strict 
  ones 
  in 
  their 
  wording, 
  in 
  the 
  Chinese 
  code, 
  for 
  the 
  

   protection 
  of 
  game-birds 
  and 
  animals. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  laws 
  date 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  

   great 
  Kublai 
  Khan. 
  Like 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  excellent 
  laws 
  of 
  China, 
  they 
  are 
  conspicuous 
  

  

  