72 Aviary Pheasants. 



which take every opportunity of going off one's land ; 

 and some neighbours are not so scrupulous as they 

 might be, and encourage them to do so, aided by 

 raisins, potatoes, &c. I prefer, for cold districts, 

 a dash of the Chinese blood, as they are undoubtedly 

 very hardy. 



It is said that the Chinese birds now in St. Helena 

 have considerably changed in colour from the true 

 stock left there very many years ago. The following 

 are the colours of a pure specimen, now before 

 me, which came direct from China. Forehead bronze- 

 green ; back of head and face dark green with 

 blue shade ; ears long, and very dark green ; collar 

 pure white, -^in. deep, rather widest at the points of 

 shoulders ; behind collar the green continues for a 

 margin, then shades off on back to light brown, deeply 

 edged with green ; back creamy-white, each feather 

 having a wide margin of reddish-brown ; saddle grey- 

 green, with its sides a fine glaucous-grey, fringed 

 with light chestnut ; shoulders and wing coverts 

 exactly the colour of side of saddle ; breast deep 

 reddish-brown, edged with black, and getting paler, 

 and markings larger, towards belly, which, in the 

 centre, is deep green ; sides of body very light brown, 

 with large, black markings; feet and legs jet black; 

 wings dark brown, each feather edged with red ; tail 

 olive-brown, fringed with reddish-violet and barred 

 with black the bars get wider as they approach the 

 tail point, and terminate in fully 2in. of black point. 

 The whole bird has a green-grey appearance, when 



