81



THE


Hvicultural fllbac$a3me t


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.



7hint Series —VOL. II. — No. 3 .—All rights reserved. JANUARY, 1911.



SOME PHEASANTS AND A JAY.


By Mrs. Gregory.


For the last eight years I have kept Pheasants—Gold,

Silver, Amherst, Swinhoe, and Reeves! It is of the latter

species I have most to say. Called the “ long tail ” on account

of its length, this appendage in my bird measures exactly four

feet (that is to say, the longest of its feathers does), and it is

most difficult to keep in good order. When rain conies the

feathers look draggled and shabby, and soon break off. The

bird twists and turns as he walks, and, not having the arch in

the tail that the Amherst has, the hard gravel wears it all away.

So to preserve his tail I determined to let him go free. These

Reeves have the habit of suddenly flying up when they are

frightened, and often injure or kill themselves against the wire.

I lost my last one from this cause. In the morning his run was

brushed out by a new man, who left a broom standing up against

the door. The bird rushed down and saw it, dashed up to the

roof, struck his head—and fell dead ! They are certainly less

intelligent and more timid than either Gold or Silver Pheasants.

I determined to gain the confidence of my bird inside the aviary

before I risked letting him out. So I gave him a few monkey

nuts, now and then, as a treat, and when he got tame enough to

come and take them from my hand I caught him as gently as I

could (they hate a net and are very nervous when held), cut the

feathers of one wing, and waited till next day for him to recover.

Then I opened the door and let him loose in the garden. At

first he kept out of sight under shrubs and bushes, but now I

have the pleasure of seeing him on the lawn close to the house,



