The Glenwood post., 1910-05-28
CHINESE PHEASANT
A GAME BIRD
from last week.)

CONTINUED from last weekly
furious pests-upwards of 1000 wire
worms have been taken from the crop
of pheasant; if this number was con-
sumed in single meal the total de-
stroyed must be almost incredible.
"There is no doubt that insects are
preferred to grain. One pheasant shot
at the close of the shooting season had
in his crop 726 wire worms, one acorn,
one snail, 9 berries and grains of
wheat. From the crop of another
pheasant 440 grubs of the crane fly and
the daddv-longlegs larvae are
exceedingly destructive to luscious vege-
tables. From the crop Of another pleas
ant As snail shells were taken. Eight
young vipers, weighing about one
from the crop of hen pheasant.
"An instance is reported in the
London field of a pheasant which, when
found, had swallowed about six inches
of viper, whilst about eight inches Of
the tail part of the reptile was pro-
truding from the mouth of the bird:
both the bird and the viper were dead.
| "Another instance is recorded of a
pheasant which, on being killed, had no
less than ,225 leather iackets-a most
destructive larvae-in its crop"
1t is fond of carrots potatoes, beets
cabbage and turnips in the winter time,
although if dandelions are fed to Gagged
pheasants they will eat them in PREF
erence to most any vegetable food,
roots and all.
The pheasant is also very fond of
many of the wild weed seeds, such as
:egumes, thistles, especially the burr
thistle, wild carrots, sunflowers, wnl
lettuce, mayweed, marsh elder and mus
tard seeds.
| AS a table food, and also as a game
bird. the pheasant has been held as the
leading bird for these two qualities by
the kings, royalty, wealth and educated
people of the world for more than two
thousand years as being of the greatest
sport and richest deicacy. No other
bird has held such a position, and IT
will be a long time before any other
bird can gain such distinction.
The home of the Chinese ring-neck is
largely in the mountains, as well as il
the valleys of China, and they are ac-
customed to very severe weather, as it
inhabits the high attitudes, and yet
adapts itself to the lower attitudes, as
low as sea level. 1t is thoroughbred
bird and has been imported into Eng
land in considerable numbers to breed
up the English pheas.-..
Chinese ring neck pheasants are do
ing well, liberated in the mountains Of
Colorado up to 5000 feet altitude.
The Feathered World, London; Frank
Finn. F. 4. s., says: "The Chinese
pheasant, like his human fellow coun-
trymen, is very hardy, and will thrive
anywhere, bearing the cold of north
ern United States winter and the heat
of Bengal summer quite we'll. 1t is
also good breeder and bears confine-
ment WELL
The government statistics show that
the damages done to the growing crops
by insect pests, largely owing to the
destruction of insectivorous birds, is es
timatei at something like $sO0,O0O,OO0
10
and care for many millions of pleas
ants and other insectivorous birds.
At the last annual meeting of the
New York Geological society 100000
was given to be used entirely for the
study of pheasants and the best methods
to be adopted for the introduction anl
distribution of these birds into the Uni.
ted States.
| In number of states the next legis-
lature will be asked to pass liberal ap-
preparations for propagating the pheas-
ant and other insectivorous and game
birds and the distribution of literature
to instruct and aid the people in the
Matching of eggs and rearing of the
birds about their country homes.
If every farmer, landowner and bird
lover in the country would secure
setting of pheasant eggs and hatch
them under a common hen and rear
them like young chickens, or buy
pair of these birds. the problem of how
to destroy insects would soon be solved,
and 1 would recommend that farmers
avail themselves of this economic OPP
portunity.
Note-E. E. Lucas, manager of the
Hotel Colorado, is the pioneer in intro
ducing the ring-neck pheasant at Glen
wood. He is charter member of the
American Game association and pur-