The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-06-17 00:00:00

"A FEMALE COCK PHEASANT."

Under this heading Mr. E. K. Kerslake, Q C., favours The
Timee with the following communication
"Permit me to call the attention of such of your
readers as are fond of natural history to a very singular
cireumstance, which those who have the opportunity
of doing so ought themselves to witness. On Tuesday
last]. went to the Zeological Gardens to look at the
Prince's animals, when I was surprised to find a cock
pheasant carefully nursing two (pheasant) chicks just
hatched. This bird is a hybrid between a Iteevee'
pheasant and a Cheer. He is a large Vulgar bird,
with blotchy, rather dirty-coloured plumage; in fact,
in appearance unprepossessing, as hybrids are gene-
rally, thoughnot universally, for our half and-half cross
between an Amherst and a gold pheasant is a beautiful
creature. The cock pheasant in question rose from his
bed when he saw me, and the babies dived into the
long grass, where they were invisible, though the
tremulous motion of a few blades indicated their
whereabouts. But one of the fair sex, dressed in a
bright yellow gown, came to see what I was staring
at, and thereupon the cock made a great fuss, cluck.
big and running round and round like an old hen
whose brood of ducklings has just taken the water. I
went on Saturday morning to see how the little phea-
sants were doing. The old cock was reposing in the
long grws, with his children under his wings, while the
hen was walking about in the distance, not taking the
slightest interest in the matter. Though I have no pre-
tensible to scientific knowledge as a naturalist, I was
once a diligent breeder of first class poultry, and though
capons will take care of chickens, I never before knew
an instance of a gallinaceous c ick, or of a male phea-
sant, which first hatched and then tended its offspring.
I accidentally met this morning that first-rate judge
on such subjects, Mr. Bartlett, who tells me that the
phenomenon which I mention is as much a novelty to
him as it is o me. lam surprised that my able and
industrious friend Mr. Frank Beckland, and the other
ingenious gent!emen who cater in the weekly sporting
papers for that healthy, and, I am &lighted to find,
daily increaeing appetite., the fondness for indigenous
and exotic fauna, hey° not yet, so far as I am aware,
noticed my hen cock pheasant But, unless I am much
mistaken, he will be much heard ef in the course of the
next few des s, perhaps few weeks, and I have little
doubt that 'his praise' wi;l be—
'Snug by loftier harps than mine.
The conduct of the cock pheasant suggests some valu-
able hints. If my friend Mr. Forsyth should ulti-
mately succeed to the full extent in his advocacy of the
claims of the fair sex, the male parent, though he can-
not exactly hatch out the baby, may yet, curled up in
bed, keep it warm and comfortable while the hen bird
is addressing to the House in the early hours of the
morning an elaborate and eloquent address in favour
of the abolition of ehignons, or on the objectio7 8 which
fastidious persons might urge to dresses made very
tight below the waist."

ONE WAY OF: AVOIDIR-0 A HORRIBLE DESTINY.—A
young lady, while on her way to be than ied, was run
over and killed. A confirmed old maid savagely com-
ments : "She avoided a more lingering and horrible
destiny."