Ornithological and Other Oddities 



(Phasianus reevesi) and the common pheasant 

 (P. colchicus) crossed again with the silver 

 pheasant {Gennceus nycthemerus), the latter 

 species belonging to a quite distinct group of 

 pheasants called the Kaleeges, while the Reeves' 

 and common are not by any means remarkably 

 closely allied. This curiously-bred bird is very 

 handsome, being white above, pencilled with 

 black and brown, and a sort of plum-pudding 

 mixture of black and brown beneath. 



The most distant crosses on record occur 

 amongst these gallinaceous birds. Hybrids be- 

 tween the peacock and guinea-fowl, caper- 

 cailzie and pheasant, and red grouse and 

 bantam fowl have been recorded, while even 

 one of the guans is crossed in Mexico with the 

 domestic fowl, and used as a fighting bird. The 

 guans are always admitted to belong to a distinct 

 family of the game-birds, having a large hind-toe 

 like a pigeon, and spending a large part of their 

 time in trees. Several species, with their allies 

 the curassows, are often to be seen at the Zoo- 

 logical Gardens, but this Chacalacca or Mexican 

 guan {Ortalis vetula), above alluded to, is not 

 on view there at the time of writing. 



A good deal of fuss has been made over the 



not uncommon cross between the Egyptian goose 



(Chenalopex cegyptiaca) and the ruddy sheldrake 



{Casarca rutila) as being a very remote one. 



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