ii8 
The Riiig-iicckcd IHieasant. 
screened by the low, spreading branches of a Cuprcssus bush ; 
the following- year she made several scrapes, all well hidden, 
under respective bushes, but again made no attempt to sit, 
producing from forty to fifty eggs, some were eaten hut most 
were given to a friend to hatch out under poultry. 
Tliey had, howe\er, made themselves somewhat of a 
nuisance in the aviary fine as they looKed : (i) By keeping it clear 
of ground herbage and thus preventing a pair of Skylarks 
(Alauda arvciisis) from breeding. (2) The hen flew wildly when- 
ever the aviary was entered (perfectly c|uiet otherwise) and 
several nests in the bushes were thereby spoiled. In March of this 
year I took them down to my small holding and gave them an 
unoccupied poultry run. consisting of a lofty shed 25ft. x 14ft , 
with a run of similar dimensions, netted in with 2in. mesh 
netting. The ground, however, was bare, except for patches 
of grass and other weeds, with nettles growing in places against 
netting and back fence. 
They were very wild at first, and I was afraid the hen would 
kill herself against the netting whenever I entered to feed them, 
as she flew so wildly, bashing into any object that came in the 
way of her wild flight, often falling half stunned after colhding 
with the netting — nearly every morning wild hen pheasants rose 
from outside the aviary when I went to feed them. In about a 
fortnight things improved somewhat, and she only ran away to 
the full extremity of either shed or flight and there squatted 
motionless. 
Early in April a scrape was made between two clumps of 
nettles, against the front wire netting — no lining was at first 
put in, but after about four eggs were deposited the scrape 
(nest) was lined with grass, and the eggs regularly covered with 
grass bents till incubation commenced, which event took place 
on May 6th. She has sat steadily since, and one can touch her 
without her moving, save for turning her head and closely 
watching the intruder. Since incubation commenced the nettles 
have so grown that the hen is obscured, and a number of leaves 
were cut away to open up the nest, without disturbing the hen. 
for the purpose of taking the photo. 
While the photo of the male was being taken he did not 
go six feet away from the nest the whole period, but strutted to 
