Phasianus colchicus does not always get the best of press.
The common pheasant (for it is he, or she, of whom I speak) is thought by some purists to be a bit too easy game.
They fly low, slow and lack the brainpower to be regarded as serious quarry, argue some.
Without Mount Vesuvius, we would know far less about life in the Roman world than we do. What is good fortune for today’s archeologists, historians and scholars, though, was rather less lucky for the citizens of the two towns that lay at the base of the mountain.
It is a point that is made clearly at the British Museum’s major spring exhibition: Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum.
The erruption of AD79 that brought with it disaster served also to preserve an intimate snapshot of Roman life, from election posters, to portraits, to a carbonised loaf of bread complete with the name of the slave who made it.
The Scotland’s Big 5 campaign has been launched by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Visit Scotland.
The Big five are all high-profile species, widely associated with Scotland, with a broad geographical spread. They are the red deer, otter, red squirrel, golden eagle and common seal.
Interestingly wild cat, capercaillie and pine marten all miss out.
The campaign encourages people to enjoy the wider experience of exploring some of the places where the species can be found, and to take part in a web-based vote to discover the nation’s favourite wild animal, even if it’s not one of the Big 5.
Aman Resorts plans to open the Aman Canal Grande in Venice in time for the beginning of the Venetian Biennale on 1 June.
The dramatic palazzo that houses the 24-suite resort is located in the San Polo district and consists of two five-storey adjoining buildings (one is the 16th-century Palazzo Papadopoli). It features one of the very few private gardens on the canal.
This spring Hell Bay hotel in Cornwall will be running ‘low tide breaks’.
Taking place on 10 different dates, guests at Hell Bay will be able to walk to the neighbouring island of Tresco with the help of a local guide.
The St Regis Mauritius Resort is set to celebrate its official grand opening on 18 March 2013 with a 1904 themed ceremony.
To mark the occasion, the resort has introduced two opening offers: book before 30 June 2013 and guests receive three complimentary nights on a week’s stay, or book 14 nights for the price of eight.
Bushmills Live will take place on Ireland’s north coast on 19 and 20 June 2013.
Internationally acclaimed indie folk band, Of Monsters and Men will headline the two-day festival – their first ever gig in Northern Ireland.
An album of photographs taken by a wealthy young Frenchman in India in 1849 and 1850 will be sold by auction house Bonhams on 19 March for an estimated £40,000 to £60,000.
Alexis De La Grange’s album includes 49 architectural views, most of which are Mughal, taken in northern India.
On the morning of 4 August 1914 the garrison at Gemmenich, close to the border between Belgium and Germany, sent a message to General Leman, commanding the Belgian 3rd Division at nearby Liège. ‘Belgian territory has been invaded by German troops,’ it read.
The infiltrating soldiers reported by the outlying Belgian positions belonged to General Karl von Bulow’s 320,000-strong second army that was pouring into Belgium. Their initial target was Liège, which they hoped to storm before pushing on into France, cutting the two nations’ armies in two before their British allies could provide reinforcements.
