P H A S I A N U S. 
this means to their food; but, as foon as their appetite is 
Satisfied, they return to their natural lolitary mode of 
life, and forget the hand that fed them. They are ltub- 
born birds, and will not fubmit to conlfraint, as if they 
knew that nothing can enter into competition with li¬ 
berty; who feelc continually to recover it, and never lofe 
fight of it when opportunity occurs. The wild ones 
newly bereaved of freedom become furious; they dart 
with violence on the companions of their captivity, and 
ftrike with their bills even the large peacocks. Their 
difpofition is fo unfocial, that they not only fly from the 
prefence of man, but avoid the company of each other, 
except in the months of March, April, and May, when 
the male courts the female. It is then eafy to difcover 
them in the woods, becaufe they are betrayed by their in- 
ceilant crowing, which is (then only) fimilar to that of 
the cock; and by the loud noife made by the clapping of 
their wings, which may be heard at a confiderable dif- 
tance. The cock-pfieafants are not fo ardent as the com¬ 
mon cocks. Frifch afl'erts that, in the wild flate, each at¬ 
taches itfelf to a Angle female. The hen conltrudts her 
nell alone; file feleits the darkell corner of her lodging, 
if in a pheafantry, and forms it with draw, leaves, and 
other materials ; though it appears very rude and un- 
Ihapely, flie prefers it to any other not built by herfelr, 
infomuch that, if one be prepared for her of a regular 
conftru&ion, flie tears it in pieces, and arranges the mate¬ 
rials anew in her own way. She breeds but once a-year, 
at lead in our climates ; flie lays twenty eggs according 
to forne, and forty or fifty according to others, efpecially 
if we fave her the trouble of fitting. Thofe, however, 
which have been obferved in this country, feldom lay 
more than fifteen, or lefs than nine. They generally 
lay one every two or three days, and the eggs are 
much fmaller than thofe of an ordinary hen, and the 
(hell thinner even than thole of pigeons. The colour 
is a greenilh grey, and about the fize of thofe of the ban¬ 
tam hen. 
Thefe birds feed on all forts of grain and herbs. They 
love acorns, the berries of the white thorn, and feeds of 
wormwood ; but the food bell adapted to them is buck¬ 
wheat and ants eggs ; they alfo eat gralhoppers, ear-wigs, 
and millepedes. 
The time of incubation is from twenty to twenty-five 
days. Palladius fixes it at thirty ; but this is a millake. 
As foon as the young pheafants leave the (hell, they be¬ 
gin to run, like all the gallinaceous tribe. In pheafant- 
ries, where they are propagated, food is generally denied 
them lor the firlt twenty-four hours; after that, they are 
put with the mother into a crib, and carried out every 
day to the fields, and into pallures where ant-hills abound. 
The crib ought to be covered with deals, which may be 
removed or replaced as occafion requires. It ought alfo 
to have a divifion near one of the ends, where the mother 
Iliould be confined with bars fo wide afunderas to allow 
the chickens to go out and return as often as they choofe. 
The clucking of the imprifoned mother, and thenecefiity 
of being frequently wanned, will confhntly bring them 
back, and prevent them from fauntering too far. It is 
ufual to join together three or four hatches of nearly 
the fame age, fo as to form a lingle family, which may be 
reared by the fame mother. 
They are fed at firlt, like all young chicks, with a mix¬ 
ture ol hard eggs, crumbs of bread, and lettuce-leaves, 
mixed together, and with an addition of the eggs of 
meadow-ants. But at this tender age two precautions 
mult be carefully obferved. They mult not be allowed to 
drink at all, nor be carried abroad till the dew is entirely 
gone; for humidity of every kind is hurtful to them. 
The fecond point to be attended to is, that their food 
Ihould be given frequently, and in fmall quantities, be¬ 
ginning at day-break, and always mixing with it ants 
eggs. In the fecond month, more fubftantial nourilhment 
may be given; eggs of the wood ants, Turkey-beans, 
Vol.XX- No. 1351. 
G9 
buck-wheat, barley, millet, ground-beans; dnd the inter¬ 
vals between the meals may be gradually enlarged. At 
this time they begin to be fubjeft to vermin. To prevent 
that diforder, molt modern writers advife us to clean the 
crib, or even to lay it afide altogether, except the final 1 
roof which ferves to (belter them. Olina recommends a 
plan propofed by Ariltotle, which feems better contrived, 
and more fuitable, to the nature of thefe birds. They 
are in the number of thofe tint welter in the dull, and, 
when that gratification is withheld, they languifli and 
die. Olina directs fmall heaps of dry earth or very fine 
land to be laid near them, in which they may tumble and 
rid themfelves of the painful itching occasioned by the 
infefts. We mull alfo be very attentive in giving them 
clean water, and in often renewing it; elfe they will be 
in danger of contracting the pip, for which there is fierce¬ 
ly any remedy, according to the moderns; though Palla¬ 
dius advifes to remove it as in common chickens, and to 
rub the bill with garlic bruifed with tar. In proportion, 
as the young pheafants grow up, their regimen becomes 
more like that of the adults; and at the end of the 
third month, they may be let loofein the place intended 
to be flocked. They will foon grow as wild as thofe bred 
in the woods; except only that they will (till retain a 
fort of affection for thofe fpots where they were foltered in 
their infancy. The cocks will likewife, as they grow up, 
find their way into neighbouring farm-yards, and tread 
the common hens, whereby a crofs-breed is obtained, 
faid to be delicate and fine flavoured. 
The young ones may be fattened like other poultry, 
only, in introducing the little ball into the throat, care 
Ihould be taken to prevent the tongue from being pulhed 
backwards, which would infallibly kill the bird. A fat' 
young pheafant is a molt exquiiite morfel, and at the 
fame time very wholefome food. Accordingly this lux¬ 
ury has been always referved f o the tables of the rich; 
and the whim of Heliogabalus of feeding his lions on 
pheafants, has been regarded as the molt wanton profu- 
fion. According to Olina and Le Roi, this bird, like the 
common hens, lives about fix or feven years; but the 
opinion that the age may be difcovered from the number 
of the crofs bars on its tail, is void of foundation. 
For the methods of fnaring pheafants, fee the article 
Bird-catching, vol. iii. p. 51. See alfo Olbaldilion’s 
Britilli Sportfman for engravings of the nets and fnares 
proper to be ufed. 
Thofe who are in the habit of fnooting thefe charming 
birds, obferve, that bold-fpirited pointers, that have been 
a great deal uled to this work, will follow a pheafant very 
well ; but, from the generality of flow (launch pointers, 
a pheafant will get off fo fall, as, when fprung, to be out 
of the reach of giin-lhot: for which reafon fpaniels are 
often ufed. The fpaniels proper for this work are of a 
middling fize, their legs rather (liort and very ftrong: 
they mult be hardy, able to bear great fatigue, difpofed 
to go into cover freely and undauntedly, to hunt very 
brilkiy, and yet go very (lowly when upon fcent of game. 
One, two, or three, brace of fpaniels, well broken, may 
be ufed together; and they will find work enough in a 
large wood or thick cover. If two perfons intend hunt¬ 
ing in a wood, it is belt for one to go round it on the 
outfide firlt, whilft the other goes oppolite to him a little 
way into the wood, and afterwards to fink in deeper as 
they fliall find occafion ; unlefs they know the molt likely 
part to find game in, in which cafe they may hunt the in¬ 
terior part firlt. Some perfons, when they want to hunt 
a very large wood, approve of taking a brace of high- 
mettled fpaniels that have not been broken to hunt clofe, 
and turn them into the middle of the wood; whilft they, 
with their well-broken fpaniels, hunt outwards. But, un¬ 
lefs you have any extenfive woods to hunt, fuch dogs are 
more likely to hinder than add to your (port; and it will 
be better to hunt with patience with only fuch dogs as 
are under good command, "let the woods or cover be ever 
T fp 
