Hen Pheasant in Male Plumage. 57 
13.—On A HEN PHEASANT WHICH HAS ASSUMED THE PLUMAGE 
OF THE MALE. 
By the President. 
[Read December 17th, 1879.] 
On September 21st last I had the opportunity of examining a 
most interesting bird—a hen of the common Pheasant in male 
plumage—which is now in the possession of Mr. R. A. Heath. 
This bird was hatched in the spring of 1875. It was sent up in 
the autumn of the same year to Mr. Heath, and was placed by 
him, with a cock bird of the same species in an aviary in the 
grounds attached to his father’s house in Park Lane. Since 
she has been in Mr. Heath’s possession this bird has laid 
numerous eggs, and in 1378 she laid as many as 30. As 
these were placed under hens and many of them produced 
young birds, it is clear that the ovaries of the bird must have 
been in a healthy condition up to thattime. This year the 
bird has not laid any eggs at all, nor has she shown any 
peculiarity in plumage until the autumn moult of this year, . 
but the plumage which the bird has assumed as the result of 
that moult has all the peculiar characteristics of the plumage 
of the male. The case of this bird is very similar to that of 
the sterile Grey Hen (T. tetrix), which I exhibited and 
described at our meeting on March roth last, and which I have 
brought again this evening. There is, however, this important 
difference between the two. The Grey Hen was, I have no 
doubt, sterile from disease of the ovaries which was congenital, 
and was probably, in consequence of that sterility, larger, con- 
siderably, than Grey Hens usually are. This hen Pheasant 
on the other hand has only become sterile later in life, and 
does not differ in size from an ordinary hen Pheasant. Mr. 
Heath very kindly offered to send the bird here this evening, 
but that offer I did not like to accept, as the bird, being 
naturally shy, would probably have injured itself. But I am 
authorised to say that any of our members who would like to 
see it can do so by calling at Baron Heath’s house. 
