THE GOLDEN PHEASANT. 83 



of Bohemian pheasants. The ground shade of the plumage be- 

 comes of a rich, green, cream colour, but the head retains its 

 glossy tint, and the black tips and markings on the breast, belly, 

 and back, appear even more conspicuous than in the ordinary 

 sort. This state may occur from a modification of the same 

 causes which influence the change in the white varieties. 



It is not unusual to have the pheasants crossed on the domestic 

 fowl ; I have heard of their being again reproductive, but have, 

 myself, no knowledge of the fact. I have been fortunate in breed- 

 ing hybrids, but have never had them to reproduce. I have like- 

 wise, bred a cross from a common, pied cock, and a golden hen ; 

 the male bird was of brilliant plumage, but not so much so as the 

 gold bird, and was not quite so large as the common bird, but 

 most pugnacious. The- Earl of Derby had the male bird from 

 me, and said, although he previously had them, he thought there 

 was then no other in existence. Although the female of the same 

 clutch was never out of my aviary, she was so wild, that she killed 

 herself against the roof. 



THE GOLDEN AND SILVER PHEASANTS, 



Being so frequently the inmates of our aviaries, require particular 

 notice : the golden pheasant, at the top of the print, is not so large 

 as the common pheasant, but the most beautiful of the entire tribe. 

 The male bird, when in perfect plumage, measures nearly three 

 feet in length, of which the tail alone forms about two-thirds. The 

 feathers of the fore part of the head are very long, silky, and of a 

 bright yellow, and considerably overhang those of the hinder part, 

 which are of a brilliant orange, marked with transverse, black rays; 

 these last are elongated and extended backwards over the sides of 

 the neck, and may be raised or depressed at will. The cheeks are 

 thinly clothed with minute, velvet feathers, and the rest of the head, 

 as well as the entire throat, is covered with plumage, the former 

 being destitute of the comb, so conspicuous in the common fowl. 

 The feathers of the back of the neck are tinged with a mixture of 

 green and gold, and bordered with black ; those of the back and 

 upper tail coverts are bright yellow, the latter terminating in a 

 crimson border. Over the base of each wing, is a broad patch of 

 deep blue, passing almost into violet; the wing coverts and secondary 

 quill feathers offer various shades of chesnut and brown, and 

 the primary quill feathers are marked with reddish spots, upon a 

 brown ground. The tail feathers are variegated with chesnut and 

 black, the colours being dispersed in oblique rays upon the latent 



