diard's pheasant. 
261 
gatlier some under tlie trees, and our occupation 
being observed, a good-natured Japanese ran into 
his house and brought out handfuls of a nut, very 
similar in appearance to that which we were pick- 
ing up, but which we recognised as the kernel of a 
species of Taxus growing around. These we were 
requested to eat, and amid much merriment at our 
expense, in making so absurd a mistake, our acorns 
were treated with pantomimic abhorrence and 
disgust. The Taxus fruit had been boiled in salt 
and water and was pretty tolerable, though rather 
rough to the palate. But the pheasants ? Well, 
leaving me to “ moon ” about as usual, my impul- 
sive messmate, {lieutenant Warren, a sportsman, 
successful as well as enthusiastic, struck across the 
country, and very soon saw ten or eleven pheasants 
feeding together in the open spaces of the scrub. 
They were first recognised by the peculiar short 
crow common to the pheasant family, and were by 
no means shy, never having seen sportsmen before. 
Their favourite haunt seemed to be in the shrubs 
and high grass on the rising land between the cul- 
