220 NATURAL JI J STORY OF BIRDS. 



in spite of the fact that thb T. picta has been so long known, and of their nidification 

 nothing has been related. They dwell in thick woods on tlie mountains of moderate 

 elevation, and are hardy birds, tiie Lady Amherst ]>heasant being indifferent to both 

 cold and snow, ami is umnivoruus, like the domestic fowl. It is an extremely jealous 

 species, and will not permit the golden plieasant, its only rival, to approach the bounds 

 of its liabitation. Tlie two species .are not met with either in the same valleys or on 

 the same mountains. The T. obscura resembles the T. j>ivt<i, but is a darker bird in 

 all stages of its existence, and is stated to inhabit Japan, although it cannot be said that 

 this country has undoubtedly been established as its haliitat. 



Tlie genus Phasianus includes the tyjiical |>heasants, some sixteen in number. 

 It has I)een divideil into several gener.a, whieh have been ad()]ited by some writers 

 either wholly or in j)art, while other authors jirefer to consider them as sub-generic 

 distinctions. Thus C<//t>/>/irt«i« was proposed for V.ellioti, Grajihophasianus iot P.SKtn- 

 tticri/i;/ii, ^Si/nua(icits for J', ret'ccs//, ami Calreits for P. tniUiclii!. The first of these, 

 C cl/ioti, is a most lovely bird. It is a native of the mountains near Xingpo, prov- 

 ince of Che-Kiang, China, and has the sides and back of neck bluish-gray, graduating 

 into white ; chin and throat black ; back and breast metallic golden ; lower breast 

 and al)donien pure white, Hanks ii ivgiilarly barred with black, white, and cliestnut ; 

 under tail-coverts deep chestnut and black ; upper scapulars black margined with 

 white, forming a bar on the shoulder; lesser wiiig-covcrts maroon chestnut, reflecting 

 a fii'ry metallic tint, greater coverts dee]) chestnut with a black bar followed by a 

 broad white tiji, making a white band across the wing; lower back and rump steel- 

 black barred with white, u]>])er tail-coverts gray mottled with black; t.ail long and 

 barred alternately with stone-gray and chestnut, the latter narrowly bordered basally 

 with black; legs bluish-gray, armeil with well-develo])ed spurs; skin of face scarlet. 

 The hen is very like a grouse in her coloring; with a black throat, this hue extending 

 onto the bre.ist, under-parts white ; side of head reddish cream-color; upper parts 

 yellowish and reddish brown, li:incd and mottled with black. An ally to this brilliant 

 bird was discovered by Mr. II iiiiK' in Munipur. It has some of the m;n-kings of C. 

 ellioti, but differs in the throat and upper breast, which is metallic blue-black, and in 

 the under-j>arts, which are maroon chestnut with metallic crimson fringes to the 

 feathers. The female has the neck, throat, and breast a dull jiale sienna-brown, abdo- 

 men dingy pale ochraceous, upi)er ]>arts and tail similar to the hen of the other species. 

 It is not so handsome a bird as the C. ellioti, but nevertheless is remarkable for its 

 peculiar coloration. They dwell in the dense forests and are very shy and dithcult to 

 shoot, but not much is known of their economy and habits. Ja])an produces a beauti- 

 tiful species, the P. stemiiieriiii/ii, and a variety of it called P. scintil/ans, a most 

 •attractive species with a very long tail and a jiluinage generally of a metallic copjier. 

 Very little is known about these birds in their wild state, but in captivity they are 

 pugnaciou.>--, the male frequently killing the female when confined in the same enclo- 

 sure. Another gorgeous pheasant is the P. reevesii from northern China. This has a 

 general golden yellow ]ilum.age, each featherbarred with black ; tlanks white, the chestnut 

 margin separated from the white by a black bar, the abdomen V>lack. The tail is ex- 

 cessively long, the central feathers sometimes reaching five and si.v feet in length. 

 They are grayish-white, margined with deep buff, ami l)arred with black and chestnut. 

 These feathers are sometimes worn by the mandarins iu their hats. Reeves' pheas.ant 

 is a large bird, and its flesh is white and very delicate. It is numerous in the Tung- 

 ling or eastern burial-])laces of the Chinese erai)erors, situated northeast of Pekin, and 



