T a keep up a stock of PhéasantSj several are keptKdll thé
year in pens, where many^eggs*-are-'produced, But as tKës
females will seldom sit ssteacTilyfin- confihëme&t, ‘these eggs,--
with othémffound %y ïnówerl, are-hatelied^and beared -by
common hen's'óf small siéé, which'are generally- fed h ^ td be
the best nurses.' Thé' young birds require-toJbemarefully fed
with •antS* e§gs^ grits, maggotsmf‘flesh"flj®s,v &e." till thly' are
able to takécoarser food, «or old enough to »go to sfoubblé'and
provide for themselves. -
The-Pheasanti"SayS Mri Sedby£f& like mostbf the®galffmm
ceous tribe, -is! very liable, especially dn a sta|e\of-confinement,
to a diséase’called the g apes, so destructive to broods-of
chickenS and young turkeys-in particular' 'mtug^ions. I t is
occasioned by an inl^tinal worm oLjthe Rasqtéèa\
which, lodging in the trachea$r adheres by a
its internal - membrane,- .and causes death by •sóffoeatiqn-I^ÖHi
the inflamed state; of th e part. Many reeipesfor t-he ciire^df
this malady have-been suggested, bilt n©»#@f ’them^iSfbW
be effectual except the-one-recommended rbyMontagu,- in the‘-
Supplement to Kis Omithologièal Dictionary, under the
article Pheasant,Tr-ïiamely, fumigation by-d^^feesdfoond dte
be an infallible specific when administered with düè e^£g and
attention.1^?.The young birdsiare.put into a wqgdem.W:%-;ii!dQ
which the fumes of tobacco are blown means* of a- common
tobacco-pipe: any state shofffdf^SttffijCa’tion b ^ ’the remedyds
found to’Fer a cure for the-complaint.
The food of Pheasants :in "a. wild state éonsjsts'of grain,
seeds, greefi leaves, and insects. I have several times- Seen
Pheasants pulling down fipe blackberries from a hedge side,
and later in the year have also seen: them fly up into high
bushes; to pick sloes and haws. Mr. Selby mentions-hei has
observed that the root of the bulbous-crowfoot, Rartunculus
bulbosusy a common but acrid meadow plant, well known as
the buttercup, is particularly sought after by the Pheasant,
and forms a gr-eaf'-portion of its food during the months of
May and- J u n ^ a n d another friend has noticed that they also
feed on,, the pilewort erbwfoot, Ranunculus Jicaria. A t the
latter end o f autumn I.have fpund their crops distended with
acorns■ ©f^eidarge à ^ ê ^ th a t thèÿ'Gould not have been swallowed
without..great difficultyv Towards and throughout the
winter,- Pheasants in preserves-, to prevent them from straying
away<iinÿlffieir .search ,:for foo’d^ require to be supplied con-*
stantlys with barl^^in thelsltaw, or beans, Jorrbotb ; and one
good .mod®"of - in4uHnga them d®* St*op at home is to sow in
;,beans, pèas/and buckwheat, mixed together, leav-
ingdheiwhole „crop ’ Standing on the-ground* :< dhë strong and
- t a l jfstalte v. of the beans déarrÿ up;, sustain, and'support the
other;two/ and-all three.together afford,, for a long time, both
food and cover.
During summer, till -the old birds have-, complète^ their
seasonal moult,| Pheasants-: do not. roost;; constantly in trees,
butiifaft'erwards - they .may be heard, about dusk, to go up tó
Jfo^m&leost,? by the fîStfe^gfè their wings, and their peculiar
notes;;; -T&eçmaje giving ibis/ short '.chuckling crow, and the
.|emal©:^ii|r. more shrill piping whistle, as soon. ..as they get
upomtheir fleet on the branch : both generally roost upon thé
smaller trees, oand near.th é stem..- Unless disturbed, and
«tQjbliged to^seoure their safety by flight, Pheasants. seldom use
their winggyhexce.pt as before noticed, at night and morning :
nor have“/ 'tfieyemuehf occasion, as a mode; of progression ; the
facility and speed with .which Wéy5éan get over the ground by
running is quite surprising. Pheasants do not pair, and except
during the spring, the males and females do not even
associate. During the shooting season the males are found
together, and are also observed to be- much more wary and on
the alert;than the females.: An old cock Pheasant immediately
on hearing a dog give tongue in a wood where he is,
will foot away to the nearest comer, particularly if the wood