RING-NECKED OR MONGOLIAN PHEASANT 



*** Phasianus torquatus 



The male of this heautiful pheasant varies greatly 

 in length according to the development of the tail, 

 sometimes being 36 in. in length; the female aver- 

 ages about 22 in. and is plain colored, but still a 

 very handsome bird. Males vary greatly in the rich- 

 ness of their colors, and in the width of the white 

 collar on the neck, the latter depending upon the ex- 

 tent to which they have been interbred with the Eng- 

 lish Pheasant, the latter bird having no white on the 

 neck. These pheasants have been introduced in Ore- 

 gon and Washington and are very abundant there now. 

 Attempts at introducing them in the East have not been 

 as successful, but in some private preserves they are 

 doing well. They are rather sluggish in their habits, 

 compared to our Ruffed Grouse, and usually try to 

 escape by running or hiding rather than by taking wing: 

 1 when they do fly, they go in a straight line and rather 

 slowly. 



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