PHEASANT. 
255 
Order— GALLINvE. 
Fa m I LY — Phasianidce. 
Genu s — Phasianus. 
196. Phasianus colcJiicus. Pheasant. 
Naturalised and resident throughout the county and 
Isle of Wight. 
In his " History of Hampshire " the late Mr. Shore 
tells us that it was introduced by the Romans. 
In Gilbert White's time it abounded in the manor of 
Selborne,^ and the covert at the upper end of Bean's pond 
was sometimes frequented by them in the winter.^ 
In 1773, there was evidently a scarcity of them, for in a 
footnote to his Journal he remarks . . . . " Pheasants are 
very scarce .... we abound usually in pheasants." 
In his Journal of October 2nd, 1790, he describes the 
plumage of a hybrid between a blackcock and a pheasant, 
which was figured in several editions of his work, the 
original picture being still in the possession of the White 
family. 
In the district around Longparish, Colonel Hawker 
latterly found it a vara avis, and it is not surprising, 
considering how he hunted, and was not satisfied until 
he had killed, every one that strayed on to his ground, 
without a thought of leaving any to breed. The appear- 
ance of one on his, or his neighbour's, estates, was the signal 
for the assembly of an army of beaters to bring it to bag. 
Thus, on October 7th, 1 8 19, he writes in his "Diary," — 
" Heard of a cock pheasant, which nowadays is like a wild 
' Letter v. to Pennant. 
' Letted viii. to Pennant. 
