PHEASANT. 215 



white, with which pheasants are likely to mix in the fields; and 

 the mule production between these fl-wls and the hen pheasant 

 ought not to be white, but, according to the established law of 

 nature, they should have a share of the colour of each parent. 

 And thus the mule production, from a barn door cock of any one 

 of several colours besides white, would be easily distinguished, 

 but particularly if the cock were black. 



" Fourthly. Again, if white pheasants be a mule breed be- 

 tween the barn door cock and the hen pheasant, how is it, that 

 though we often hear of these white pheasants, yet we never hear 

 of a mule bred between the cock pheasant and the hen fowl ? The 

 writer has already spoken of having seen white pheasants, and of 

 having heard of many more, but he never saw or heard of a mule 

 bred between the cock pheasant and the hen fowl. And yet he 

 has seen pheasants come into a lonely barn-yard, where there was 

 no house, and where no labourers vrere at work, but where there 

 were fowls. And he has known a cock pheasant to come early 

 every morning in the breeding season to this barn-yard, and crow, 

 often sitting on one of the hovels. And it is said a cock pheasant 

 would beat a game cock, if unarmed with those barbarous weapons, 

 steel spurs. If this be true, he would, of course, be more than a 

 match for a dunghill cock. And as this superior prowess would 

 enable him to defend his own seraglio from the violations of 

 chanticleer, if attempted in his presence, so it would enable him 

 more easily to invade that of his neighbour. 



" Note. White pheasants are seldom perfectly white, but are 

 usually mottled, or variegated, or, as they are generally called, 

 pied. When they are entirely white, the impression on the hen 

 pheasant must be of the strongest and most perfect kind. But 

 when they are pied, it is suggested, rather that the impression 

 was not so strong and perfect, than that the impression was made 

 by mottled or variegated fowls. 



" With respect to the brown sheep mentioned in the contract 

 between Jacob and Laban, it may be remarked, that as white is 

 the natural colour of that animal, so the brown sheep may be to 



