A HANDSOME FAMILY 19I 
saved that beautiful bird as well as a great many 
others. 
Now I will tell you about a very beautiful phea- 
sant—the Argus Pheasant. Some people may think 
him the most beautiful one of all. And yet he is 
not the most showy pheasant—for the pheasants, you 
know, are very showy birds indeed. There is the 
Golden Pheasant, who is dressed in the sun’s own 
livery ; and the Silver Pheasant, who has a silver white 
one which is more like the moon’s, but who looks 
gaudy and smart all the same; and the Amherst 
Pheasant, who manages to be handsomer than both 
the sun and moon—which is very clever of him; and 
the Fire-back, who is all in a blaze without minding 
it at all; and the Impeyan or Monal, who looks as if 
he was made of beaten metal, and had just been 
polished up with a piece of wash-leather. There is 
the Peacock, too—for he is really nothing but a-large 
pheasant—so, you see, the pheasants are a handsome 
family, and you may be sure that they know how 
to appreciate themselves. The pheasant that we are 
going to talk about is quite a large bird, not so large 
as the peacock, it is true, but with still longer tail- 
feathers, and oh, such wonderful wings! One may 
say, indeed, that this bird is all wings and tail, but he 
is principally wings, at least when he spreads them 
out. But, even when they are folded, they are so very 
