OP THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 47 



Family PHASIANID^E. The Typical Game Birds. 



The birds in the present family are characterised by having the nostrils bare, 

 never concealed by feathers ; the metatarsi partially or entirely naked, and in 

 many cases armed with spurs ; the toes bare and never pectinate. Attempts 

 have been made to divide this large group into several subfamilies, but with very 

 unsatisfactory results, the characters relied upon being artificial and inconstant. 

 Further research may show how to subdivide the group in a natural manner, 

 but up to the present time no characters of any scientific value have been 

 discovered by which we may so class the 270 or so species and subspecies of 

 which it is composed. 



Genus PHASIANUS, or True Pheasant. 



Type, PHASIANUS COLCHICUS. 



Phasianus, of Linnaeus (1766). The birds comprising the present genus 

 are characterised by the absence of any occipital crest, and by their long wedge- 

 shaped and graduated tail. The wings are short and rounded, the first primary 

 about equal to the eighth and much longer than the tenth ; the tail is long and 

 wedge-shaped and composed of eighteen feathers. The metatarsus is moderately 

 long, and armed in the male with a conical, sharp spur. The bill is of medium 

 length, the upper mandible convex, the tip bent downwards ; nostrils basal, and 

 shielded by a membrane. Three toes in front, one behind ; hind toe articulated 

 upon the metatarsus. 



This genus is composed of about eighteen species and several subspecies, 

 which are confined to the Eastern hemisphere, being inhabitants of the south- 

 eastern portions of the Palsearctic region and the northern portions of the Oriental 

 region. One species is resident in the British Islands. 



The true Pheasants are dwellers in woodland districts, where plenty of 

 cover affords them shelter. They are birds of rapid flight, and progress on the 

 ground by running and walking. Their notes are harsh and discordant. They 

 subsist chiefly on grain, seeds, fruits, berries, tender shoots, insects, larvae, and 

 worms. Their nests are slight, and made upon the ground, and their eggs are 

 numerous, unspotted brown or green. They are polygamous. Their flesh is 

 highly esteemed for the table. 



