48 RUFFED GROUS. 



spot. I once started a hen Pheasant with a single young one, 

 seemingly only a few days old; there might have been more, but 

 I observed only this one. The mother fluttered before me for a 

 moment; but suddenly darting towards the young one, seized it 

 in her bill, and flew off along the surface through the woods, with 

 great steadiness and rapidity, till she was beyond my sight, leav- 

 ing me in great surprise at the incident. I made a very close and 

 active search around the spot for the rest, but without success. 

 Here was a striking instance of something more than what is 

 termed blind instinct, in this remarkable deviation from her usual 

 manoeuvres when she has a numerous brood. It would have been 

 impossible for me to have injured this affectionate mother, who 

 had exhibited such an example of presence of mind, reason and 

 sound judgment, as must have convinced the most bigotted advo- 

 cates of mere instinct. To carry olF a whole brood in this manner 

 at once would have been impossible, and to attempt to save one at 

 the expense of the rest would be unnatural. She therefore usually 

 takes the only possible mode of saving them in that case by de- 

 coying the person in pursuit of herself, by such a natural imita- 

 tion of lameness as to impose on most people. But here, in the 

 case of a single solitary young one, she instantly altered her plan, 

 and adopted the most simple and effectual means for its preser- 

 vation. 



The Pheasant generally springs within a few yards, with a 

 loud whirring noise, and flies with great vigor through the woods, 

 beyond reach of view, before it alights. With a good dog, how- 

 ever, they are easily found; and at some times exhibit a singular 

 degree of infatuation, by looking down, from the branches where 

 they sit, on the dog below, who, the more noise he keeps up, seems • 

 the more to confuse and stupify them, so that they may be shot 

 down, one by one, till the whole are killed, without attempting to 

 fly off'. In such cases those on the lower limbs must be taken first, 

 for should the upper ones be first killed, in their fall they alarm 



