56 Aviary Pheasants. 



their heads, and I have thus lost several valuable 

 birds. You must, therefore, either cut one wing, or 

 keep the birds in low aviaries, so that they do not 

 attain sufficient impetus in flying to risk injury to 

 their skulls. Keep three or four hens to a cock. 



The Versicolors would not be so generally attractive 

 as Reeves' ; they are much smaller birds, and their 

 colours are less conspicuous, but, perhaps, on the whole, 

 the most beautiful. Some say they are very pugnacious, 

 and drive away the other birds (a bad feature in 

 coverts) ; but they cross very freely with the common 

 pheasant, so much so, that in a short time the true 

 breed would be lost, and we should have another 

 cross, as we have between Phasianus colchicus and 

 P. torquatus (or Chinese). 



