Description.—Size of Robin; bill sharply pointed. Adults in spring: Upperparts strikingly marked with black, white, and rusty red; tail white, with black band near tip; underparts white, marked with black on throat and breast. In winter: Upperparts blackish, the feathers margined with grayish; lower back white; tail as in summer; legs orange-red. Length: 9½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A rare but rather regular migrant in May and September, noted chiefly at Erie.
RING-NECKED PHEASANT
Phasianus colchichus torquatus Gmelin
Other Names.—Ring-neck; Pheasant; English Pheasant.
Description.—Size of a chicken; male with a long, pointed tail; female with shorter, more rounded tail. Adult male: Head and neck, with tufts on sides of head, glossy green; collar about neck white; back and scapulars golden yellow, the centers of the feathers glossy green; rump grayish, glossed with green, and marked with black spots; wings light gray, the primaries barred with black; tail brown, barred with black and glossed with pinkish; breast rich copper-red, glossed with violet, the feathers tipped with black; sides golden yellow, spotted with glossy purple; belly black; face bare, the skin deep red; bill and feet light gray; eyes bright yellow. Female and immature male: Pale sandy brown, the head and neck with a pinkish cast, and entire upperparts streaked and barred with dark brown and black, giving the bird an entirely different appearance and color pattern from that of the adult male; eyes dark brown. Length: Male, about 30 inches; female, about 24 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A permanent resident, very common in some districts, notably in the less mountainous counties. It is becoming common throughout much of the Commonwealth through the restocking efforts of the Game Commission.
Nest.—A depression in the ground, lined with grasses or other vegetation, usually placed in a field not far from a brush-lined stream, or under a fallen bough at the edge of a woodland. Eggs: 8 to 20, olive-brown in color, glossy in appearance.
Ring-necked Pheasant, Male
The Ring-neck is a native of Asia. It was brought to Great Britain at the time of the Roman invasion and has become thoroughly acclimated there. In many parts of the New World, Ring-necks have been introduced and they seem to make their way very well. They have been present in Pennsylvania for only a few years, yet during the 1927 hunting season 177,500 of the birds were taken as legal game.
In spite of its magnificent coloration, the Ring-neck is protectively colored, though birds which wander about through the open field, where they search for food, can be seen easily. As they fly up, it sometimes takes a second or two for them to get well under way, but they fly strongly and make a difficult mark for the sportsman once they learn the meaning of a gun.
BOB-WHITE
Colinus virginianus virginianus (Linnæus)
Other Names.—Quail; Partridge; Virginia Partridge.
Description.—Size of small bantam chicken. Male: Head blackish, mottled with gray and red-brown; throat, spots on neck, and a prominent line above eye, white; back and breast mottled with gray, pinkish brown, buffy, black, and white; scapulars bordered with buffy; rump and tail gray; belly whitish, barred with black; flanks rusty red, feathers margined with white. Female: Similar, but with buffy yellow superciliary and throat. Length: 10 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Common permanent resident, chiefly in the less mountainous counties, and usually to be found in cultivated districts.
Nest.—On the ground, in high grass or among brush, made of dry grasses, arched over with grasses or other vegetation; usually placed along a road, or at the edge of a field. Eggs: 12 to 24, pure white.
