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G. H. Edwards—Pheasants



The above is an entry in the Privy Purse Expenses of King Henry VIII,

and the same writing records another entry :—


“ Itm the xxijd. daye paied to the french

“ Preste the fesaunt breder for to bye him a gowne

“ and other necesarys . . . xls.”


Mention of Pheasants occurs, also, in the Privy Purse Expenses of

Elizabeth of York, in the entry : “ The same day to Richard Mylner

of Byndfeld for bringing a present of fesauntes cokkes to the Queen

to Westminster . . . vs.” and the reader will find other interesting

references in Tegetmeier’s Pheasants.


Not Indigenous to Britain ?


The theory that the Romans introduced Pheasants to Britain is

not really convincing, and I prefer the theory that they introduced

themselves from the Continent. They are fast flying, but are not

capable of sustained flight—not so that they can be credited with

having flown the English Channel. But let us consider the history of

the Channel. It is generally accepted that, thousands of years ago,

Britain was not an island but was connected with France ; in fact

aeons ago the whole of East Anglia was joined to the mainland of

Holland and Germany in parts, and possibly the Rivers Humber and

Elbe and the Rivers Thames and Schelde connected up to discharge

their waters into the North Sea and the Atlantic respectively. Soundings

taken reveal underwater channels to-day, and these run in the directions

indicated by the dotted lines shown on the map. However that may

be, what should have prevented the Pheasant from walking across that

mainland, if only across that land which now forms the Straits of

Dover ?


This theory as to how the Pheasant came to Britain has the merit

of being at least more in accordance with the facts. Fossil bones of

Pheasants found in Great Britain have in some cases been held to be

too ancient to be dated since the coming of the Romans. If this one

discovery were established as a fact, it would definitely discount the

theory that the Romans introduced this splendid bird to our country.


The Blackneck


The Pheasant of Roman times was the Blackneck (Phasianus

colchicus ), and until fairly recent times it was distributed in the same



