54 Notes on South African Hunting. 
The African Pheasant. 
not walk off it, as the bush and grass was 
too thick. 
During this day I shot at many of the so- 
called pheasants. Nearly every day one 
managed to shoot a pheasant or a partridge to 
eat, but this day was the one on which I became 
so intimately acquainted with the nature of the 
African pheasant as to leave no doubt in my 
mind that I had only been on nodding terms 
with him before. The African pheasant is a 
bird about the size of a large English partridge, 
and is of a dark brown hue ; he is of a retiring 
turn of mind, and cannot he seen except in the 
early morning and just before sundown, when 
he comes out to feed and see his friends. I 
have never heard of any match having been 
arranged between him and a racehorse, but 
should one ever be made, I shall confidently 
back the pheasant. He is, moreover, not very 
easy to kill. Small shot is only as a pleasant 
stimulant to him, and you can wing him or leg 
him with large shot and still he will beat you. 
Well, as we were strolling along, I came 
suddenly upon a covey of these birds feeding. 
I at once let fly (one always shoots them on 
