THE PHEASANT FAMILY 19 



only lately come once more into popular 

 favour. It is not persistent, and dies out 

 in a few generations unless fresh blood 

 be constantly introduced. Nor has this 

 strain any marked advantage either in 

 rearing-field or covert : the Japanese cross 

 has often been praised of late at the 

 expense of our English birds, but the 

 reason is not very evident. 



The pure Japanese pheasant is certainly 

 a more difficult bird to rear than perhaps 

 any of the others, the hens being late and 

 not very prolific layers. 



First cross Japanese have the reputa- 

 tion of showing one tendency on shooting 

 days — more commonly seen among wild- 

 bred birds than any hand-reared hybrids 

 — the disposition to take wing readily 

 when alarmed, instead of all running on 

 in front of the beaters. There is no reason 

 to suppose that cocks of the first cross 

 are sterile, as has been commonly stated. 



The Mongolian pheasants first arrived 

 in this country about the beginning of 

 this century, under the auspices of Mr. 



