The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1911-04-28

lean agriculturalistS, but the
movement for a widespread
Introduction Of the valuable bird into
he United States is rapidly gaining
ground as the pre-eminent merits of
he pheasant are recognized. 1t is
natchless as a destroyer Of insect
pests and as a game bird it rivals the
native American species. AS 1t can
easily be reared in captivity and can
De kept semi-domesticized in the
vicinity in which 1t Is reared, 1t will
prove in many ways a valuable aid TO
he farmer.
The pheasant is naturally an insec-
.ivorous bird. The variety of the In
sect food of the pheasant is larger
han any other bird, so far as known.
investigation shows that over 1870
varieties of insects. including earth
worms, are eaten by this bird, and
doubtless many more will be added to
he list on further investigation. The
pheasant is especially fond of small
rodents, such as field mice, young
gophers and small snakes. In Eng
| land q number of pheasants have
been found choked to death In an at
Tempt to swallow worms larger or
longer than they could manage, and
pheasants also have been found dead,
choked to death on small rodents.
The keepers of large pheasantries
have seen pheasants catch mice that
we're stealing the grain from the
birds. This is verified by Fred Bar
nett, superintendent of the pleas
antries at City Park, Denver, Col. Mr..
Barnett says that pheasant hen will
catch and destroy a mouse as quickly
As a cock pheasant or cat, as he
has frequently watched them in the
act. They usually pick the head of
first, then tear and eat the body or
swallow the small ones whole.
Among the insects destroyed by the
pheasant are included ill-smelling
bugs, that most birds will not touch
making these birds more valuable to
The farmer than any other. Among
the pests ravenously caught by the
pheasant are the potato beetle, the
squash bug, the cucumber beetle, the
bean leaf beetle, tomato worms, cut
worms and the moth which deposit
the eggs for the wire worms. The
pheasant also digs for and eats the
wireworms. Most birds avoid the pc
tato beetle and other ill-smelling bugs
On account of their obnoxious odors
The southern people are importing
the pheasant to fight the cotton boil
weevil and its larvae, and 1t is SAID
that one pheasant will eat as many
of the destructive pests as number
of quail Many of the insects tina
are Injurious to the corn crop are de
stroyed by the pheasant, and the birS
will not attack the grain or ear of th'
corn until late in the season, after in
sect food is scarce. The professor
of our agricultural colleges state tina
the chinch bug, which destroys 500
900 600 worth of wheat annually, 4
hunted and eaten by the pheasant
both in summer and in winter.
The difference between the pleas
!. ant and the ordinary fowl in eating IN
sects is largely that the pheasant /
: constantly hunting for the eggs an,
and meadows, where the insect egg
/ are usually laid on the underside 0
the leaves of the plants.
Pheasants like grasshopper eggs
, especially those of the locust. whic
deposits its eggs in the earth in DIR
places. and pheasants in captivit
: nave been known to dig up .ligh
: ground in the search for insect egg
, and larvae.
: The common pheasant" of tn
, books, is, scientifically, Phasianu
colcnicus, and it is him that we ca
the "blackneck."
That is a good and distinctive It'll,
, because the bird that has made hil
{ a rara avis in our coverts, has ouste
} him and absorbed him by crossing,
= the bird with the white ring aroun
Z his neck-the ring-necked pheasan
1r Phasianus torquatus.