. The American sportsman : containing hints to sportsmen, notes on shooting, and the habits of game birds and wild fowl of America . e breedingseason, for the purpose of performing these singular manoeuvres,as may very easily be proved by the large deposits of excrement andfeathers that are always found in places suitable for this purpose. During the pairing season, fierce battles often take place be-tween the males for the possession of the females. The cocks arenot confined entirely in their attentions to one mate, but often have several hens under their protection. 13 194 LEWIS S AMERICAN S
. The American sportsman : containing hints to sportsmen, notes on shooting, and the habits of game birds and wild fowl of America . e breedingseason, for the purpose of performing these singular manoeuvres,as may very easily be proved by the large deposits of excrement andfeathers that are always found in places suitable for this purpose. During the pairing season, fierce battles often take place be-tween the males for the possession of the females. The cocks arenot confined entirely in their attentions to one mate, but often have several hens under their protection. 13 194 LEWIS S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. MIGRATIONS. Like the partridge and wild turkey, pheasants are said to per-form partial migrations, from northwest to southeast, at the ap-proach of winter; but their excursions are neither so general norextensive as those of the partridge. Pheasants fly with great ease,and do not hesitate to cross the widest rivers that obstruct theirway during the season of migration. Audubon, speaking of thesemigrations, remarks that no one who pays the least attention tothe manners and habits of our birds can fail to observe FLIGHT. This bird, like most others of the gallinaceous order, when dis-turbed, flies with a loud whirring noise, even louder and morestartling than that made by the springing of a large covey ofpartridges. They usually fly away in a direct line, and seldom ornever either cross the shooter or fly behind him. When not put to flight from fear or any other exciting cause,they move ofi slowly and rather stifily, flapping their wings fora few seconds, and then sailing ahead. They seldom go fartherthan a few hundred yards at a time. Audubon does not thinkthat any of the gallinaceous tribe, when moving through the airperfectly free from excitement, necessarily make a whirring sound;but, on the contrary, supposes the noise is produced by the unusualrapidity in the motion of the wings, owing to the over-anxiety ofthe bird to escape the suspected danger. He also s
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjecthunting, bookyear1885
