208 THE SILVER PHEASANT. 



producing a beautiful wavy pencilled appearance. 

 The tail is folded ; the centre feathers without the 

 black waves and bending ; the others graduating to 

 the outside, and broadly marked with black; the 

 legs and feet are purple-lake. 



The female is smaller, the crest much less ample, 

 and the tail more regularly graduated to the end ; 

 the centre feathers brown, the outer ones obliquely 

 streaked with black and white ; the upper parts are 

 of a chaste greyish brown, with minute black irregu- 

 lar bars. The under parts are white, irregularly 

 marked with brown, and crossed with black bars. 



The Silver Pheasant is a native of the northern 

 parts of China, where it is frequently kept in a tame 

 state. It has often been imported alive to this coun- 

 try, with the next it forms a very beautiful orna- 

 ment to our aviaries, and, being perfectly hardy, it 

 is reared with the greatest ease. Some attempts 

 have been made to turn it out in the preserves, but 

 generally without much success. They are with 

 great difficulty raised from the ground, and may fall 

 a frequent prey to all kinds of carnivorous animals ; 

 they also drive off the common pheasant, and the sa- 

 crifice in many instances has been thought too great. 

 When in confinement they become extremely tame 

 and familiar. 



