76 THE BIRDS OF BRECONSHIRE. 
effect on the size of the bird generally 
by introducing fresh blood. 
The Chinese /ovguatus, with the 
white ring round the neck, is of 
comparatively recent introduction here, 
and is invariably sialler. Many white 
and pied birds have been killed in differ- 
ent parts of the county, at Clyro, and 
elsewhere. A beautiful pied hen, an old 
bird, was killed near Brecon in 1881. 
Indeed, of all the game birds, there is 
none that seems so peculiarly liable to 
sport white feathers, either in a greater 
or less degree, than the Pheasant. I 
fancy that the reason is partly that no 
fresh blood is introduced, and the birds 
are naturally weaker. On the other 
hand, my father had in an aviary at 
Chippenham, Wilts, a pure white cock 
Pheasant and two pure white hens, as 
well as a parti-coloured hen, all of good 
size and strength. Williams gives the 
Welsh for Pheasant as /ar wydd or tar 
goed, which is Wood Hen; but most 
Welshmen speak of the bird at the 
present day as Faztsant, evidently an 
adaptation of its proper name. 
a 
