﻿152 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  destroyed. 
  At 
  Woburn, 
  in 
  Bedfordshire, 
  where 
  the 
  species 
  does 
  well 
  in 
  the 
  large 
  fir 
  

   woods 
  on 
  sandy 
  soil, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  glorious 
  sight 
  to 
  see 
  them 
  and 
  other 
  rare 
  pheasants 
  sunning 
  

   themselves 
  in 
  the 
  woodland 
  rides, 
  and 
  uttering 
  their 
  whistling 
  scream 
  of 
  defiance. 
  The 
  

   males 
  are 
  great 
  fighters 
  in 
  spring. 
  I 
  watched 
  a 
  combat 
  there 
  one 
  May 
  morning 
  for 
  a 
  

   quarter 
  of 
  an 
  hour, 
  between 
  two 
  grand 
  males 
  with 
  five-foot 
  tails. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  splendid 
  

   sight, 
  as 
  both 
  rose 
  six 
  or 
  eight 
  feet 
  as 
  if 
  by 
  one 
  impulse, 
  and 
  tried 
  to 
  strike 
  downwards 
  

   with 
  beak 
  and 
  spur. 
  The 
  curious 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  affair 
  was 
  that 
  neither 
  seemed 
  to 
  touch 
  

   his 
  opponent, 
  each 
  avoiding 
  the 
  blow 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  arts 
  of 
  the 
  skilled 
  fencer. 
  

  

  "To 
  enjoy 
  the 
  surpassing 
  beauty 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  the 
  naturalist 
  must 
  see 
  Reeves's 
  

   Pheasant 
  in 
  perfect 
  freedom, 
  and 
  on 
  ground 
  similar 
  to 
  their 
  natural 
  habitat, 
  and 
  this 
  

   spectacle 
  can 
  be 
  witnessed 
  properly 
  only, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  know, 
  at 
  Guisachan 
  in 
  Ross-shire, 
  

   formerly 
  the 
  seat 
  of 
  Lord 
  Tweedmouth. 
  To 
  see 
  a 
  covey, 
  for 
  they 
  often 
  fly 
  in 
  a 
  flock 
  

   together, 
  rise 
  above 
  the 
  highest 
  trees 
  on 
  a 
  steep 
  mountain-side, 
  and 
  after 
  uttering 
  their 
  

   peculiar 
  cry 
  dash 
  on 
  at 
  express 
  speed, 
  far 
  greater 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  pheasants, 
  is 
  a 
  sight 
  

   one 
  can 
  never 
  forget. 
  Until 
  the 
  year 
  1890 
  I 
  had 
  seen 
  and 
  shot 
  several 
  Reeves's 
  

   Pheasants, 
  and 
  under 
  ordinary 
  conditions 
  of 
  covert-shooting 
  was 
  content 
  to 
  consider 
  

   the 
  bird 
  hardly 
  a 
  success 
  from 
  the 
  shooter's 
  point 
  of 
  view. 
  During 
  the 
  autumn 
  of 
  that 
  

   year, 
  however, 
  I 
  received 
  an 
  invitation 
  to 
  the 
  annual 
  covert 
  shoot 
  at 
  Guisachan, 
  Lord 
  

   Tweedmouth's 
  beautiful 
  seat, 
  near 
  Beauly, 
  in 
  Ross-shire, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  there, 
  amidst 
  the 
  

   wildest 
  and 
  shaggiest 
  of 
  Scotch 
  scenery 
  — 
  in 
  country 
  which 
  must 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent 
  

   resemble 
  the 
  true 
  home 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  in 
  question 
  — 
  that 
  I 
  had 
  cause 
  to 
  alter 
  my 
  

   opinion. 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  one 
  high 
  wood 
  of 
  old 
  Scotch 
  firs, 
  on 
  a 
  steep 
  and 
  broken 
  hillside 
  above 
  the 
  

   waterfall, 
  the 
  sight 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  coming 
  along 
  only 
  just 
  within 
  gunshot, 
  in 
  company 
  

   with 
  common 
  pheasants 
  and 
  blackcocks, 
  I 
  shall 
  never 
  forget. 
  I 
  say, 
  ' 
  in 
  company 
  with,' 
  

   but, 
  as 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact, 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  long-tailed 
  skyrockets 
  cleared 
  the 
  trees, 
  he 
  

   left 
  the 
  others 
  far 
  behind, 
  and 
  came 
  forward 
  at 
  a 
  pace 
  which 
  was 
  little 
  short 
  of 
  terrific. 
  

   I 
  doubt 
  if 
  any 
  bird 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  goes 
  faster. 
  

  

  " 
  Now 
  this 
  is 
  all 
  that 
  the 
  sportsman 
  wants. 
  Here 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  bird 
  of 
  unrivalled 
  

   beauty, 
  great 
  hardihood, 
  and 
  unequalled 
  pace, 
  which 
  practically 
  fulfils 
  all 
  the 
  conditions 
  

   which 
  the 
  modern 
  shooter 
  requires. 
  The 
  only 
  other 
  condition 
  which 
  is 
  absolutely 
  

   essential 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  bird 
  a 
  success 
  from 
  this 
  point 
  of 
  view, 
  is 
  its 
  local 
  environment. 
  

   In 
  this 
  respect 
  Guisachan 
  is 
  not 
  singular, 
  and 
  I 
  could 
  name 
  a 
  hundred 
  localities 
  in 
  

   Scotland, 
  England 
  and 
  Wales, 
  where 
  Reeves's 
  Pheasant 
  would 
  be 
  certain 
  to 
  succeed. 
  

  

  "The 
  Guisachan 
  birds 
  were 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  Lord 
  Tweedmouth 
  from 
  

   Balmacaan, 
  Lord 
  Seafield's 
  estate 
  near 
  Loch 
  Ness, 
  where 
  I 
  have 
  also 
  seen 
  them 
  shot. 
  

   No 
  artificial 
  rearing 
  was 
  resorted 
  to 
  ; 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  breeding 
  in 
  a 
  wild 
  state, 
  and 
  

   shifting 
  entirely 
  for 
  themselves, 
  except 
  for 
  the 
  maize 
  which 
  was 
  put 
  down 
  for 
  the 
  

   ordinary 
  pheasants. 
  At 
  Balmacaan, 
  where 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  in 
  low 
  open 
  woods, 
  one 
  may 
  

   see 
  Reeves's 
  Pheasants 
  killed 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  should 
  not 
  be. 
  Here 
  these 
  birds 
  

   (as 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  when 
  turned 
  down 
  on 
  any 
  ordinary 
  English 
  preserve) 
  have 
  formed 
  most 
  

   undesirable 
  habits. 
  It 
  is 
  with 
  great 
  difficulty 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  got 
  to 
  rise 
  at 
  all, 
  and 
  when 
  

   this 
  is 
  effected 
  they 
  keep 
  low, 
  and 
  afford 
  no 
  sport 
  whatever. 
  Now, 
  at 
  Guisachan 
  all 
  

   this 
  is 
  obviated 
  by 
  the 
  rough 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  ground. 
  There 
  is 
  heavy 
  bracken, 
  fallen 
  trees, 
  

   mountain 
  burns, 
  and, 
  above 
  all, 
  rough 
  heather. 
  These 
  cause 
  the 
  birds 
  to 
  get 
  up 
  almost 
  

  

  