284 LETTER XI.IV. 



the middle of the back, and the sides under the wings, 

 have a blackish ground, and their edges tire tinged 

 with a colour exquisitely beautiful, which appears 

 .sometimes black and sometimes purple, according to 

 the different reflections of the light: under the purple 

 there is a transverse streak of gold colour. The tail 

 is about eighteen inches long. The legs, feet, and 

 toes are of the colour of horn, and two of the toes are 

 connected with a membrane : the legs are furnished 

 with spurs of a black colour, and shorter than those of 

 the cock. The male is far more beautiful than the 

 female. 



The beauty of the pheasant is not its only excel- 

 li-ney. Its tlcsh is one of the greatest dainties, and its 

 Avhoiesomeness is equal to its delicacy. When full 

 grown it scum* to feed indiscriminately on every thing 

 that falls in its way, and such is its voracity that it it 

 said to devour insects and reptiles, as well as seeds 

 and grain. In the Woods the hen lays eighteen or 

 twenty eggs in a season, but not above ten in a do- 

 mestic state. 



Of this bird, as of most others, there are many va- 

 rieties; but among all these the golden pheasant of 

 China excels in beauty. It is somewhat less than the 

 common pheasant, being not more than two feet nine 

 inches in length. The general colour of its plumage 

 is crimson, and its head is adorned with a splendid 

 yellow crest, the feathers of which have the appear- 

 ance of glossy silk. The back ami rump are of a fine 

 gold colour; the scapulars are blue, and the quills 

 brown, marked with yellow. The tail is twenty-three 

 inches long, and its colour chesnut speckled with 

 black. The hen is far inferior in beauty, the general 

 colour of her plumage being brown. It appears to 

 be a hardy bird, and will live and propagate in our 

 climate. 



The Argus pheasant is also a magnificent bird. It 

 derives its name from its quills being ornamented with 

 ryes resembling those of the peacock's train. This 

 bird, as well as the former, and also the superb phca^ 



