L 2.2.6 ] BIRDSOFOREGON 



behavior is like the Mountain Quail, though it frequents more open 

 country, is still common in Lake, Klamath, Crook, Jefferson, Wasco, and 

 Wallowa Counties and less abundant in almost all other counties of that 

 section. It is also fairly common in the foothills around the upper Rogue 

 River Valley. 



We have found no egg records in literature, and our only nesting record 

 is of a set of eight eggs found by Gabrielson at Brownsboro, June 10, 19x1 . 

 Patterson furnished records of five nests found in Jackson and Klamath 

 Counties as follows: Ashland, May 8, 192.4, and April 2.6, 192.6; Pinehurst, 

 May 6 and 10, 192.4, and May 2.6, 1931. 



Pheasants: Family Phasianidae 



Ring-necked Pheasant: 



Phasianus colchicus torquatus Gmelin 



DESCRIPTION. "Adult male: Neck metallic greenish or bluish, back of head tufted; 

 breast rich coppery chestnut, with metallic purple and coppery reflections; neck 

 wholly or partly encircled by white collar. Adult female: tail brown, barred with 

 black and white." (Bailey) Downy young: "Fore-head and sides of crown buff to 

 yellow-buff with blackish line or spots down sides, centre of crown dark red-brown 

 to blackish-brown; nape rufous; back of neck buff to yellow-buff with short blackish 

 line in centre; rest of upper-parts rufous-buff with three wide black lines and wings 

 with black blotches; sides of head pale yellow-buff to pale buff with a brownish 

 streak from base of upper mandible and a black spot on ear-coverts; under-parts buff 

 white to pale huffish-yellow, sometimes with a tawny tinge at base of throat." 

 (Witherby, through Bent.) Si%e: "Male, length 30, wing 9.50-10.50, tail 17.50- 

 zo.oo. Female, length 2.0-2.4, wing 8.50, tail n-iz." (Bailey) Nest: A slight 

 hollow, often entirely without lining or at best scantily lined with dry vegetation. 

 Eggs: 6 to 15, usually 10 to iz, brownish olive to buff. 



DISTRIBUTION. General: Native to southeastern China, now widely introduced in 

 North America. In Oregon: Introduced and now established in all parts except 

 higher mountains. 



THE RING-NECKED PHEASANT, China Pheasant, Denny Pheasant, or Chink, 

 was first shipped from China to Oregon in 1880, but the entire shipment 

 of 70 birds died before reaching Portland. Undiscouraged, Judge O. N. 

 Denny, then United States Consul General at Shanghai, sent 100 birds the 

 following year, which were released in the Willamette Valley. They 

 established themselves there and increased at an amazing rate for a num- 

 ber of years, only to decrease again later until at present, despite the 

 continued release of new birds, they occur only in small numbers com- 

 pared to former years. Meanwhile, they have been transplanted into all 

 parts of the State and have evidently found the counties about the base 

 of the Blue Mountains most to their liking. They are abundant in 

 Wallowa and Union Counties and in northern Umatilla and Morrow 



