180 PHEASANTS FOR COVERTS AND AVIARIES. 



the use of percussion caps, which seemed to astonish and 

 delight him very much. A pipe of tobacco which I offered 

 was gladly accepted ; and, in answer to a question that he 

 appeared to understand, he gave me the name of the pheasant 

 as Ki-zhi. Later in the day more people came to the hills, 

 some for the purpose of digging roots, others to look after 

 their cattle, which appeared to be turned out to graze on the 

 hills. The birds had taken to the bushes, where I could not 

 follow them, and so obtained no more specimens on that 

 occasion. 



" A few days after, Lieutenants Bent and Nicholson and 

 myself made another shooting excursion to the hills, but 

 although we saw many pheasants, but a single specimen was 

 shot, and the birds appeared to be very shy. We observed 

 several Japanese with matchlocks about the hills, firing away 

 at a great rate. As we did not see either of them with game, 

 and as the game-laws of Japan are very severe, so much so, 

 indeed, that their observance has been made a special article 

 of the treaty with the United States, I concluded that the 

 firing was only for the purpose of driving away the pheasants 

 to places where they would be more secure from the 

 strangers." 



The three species of pheasants the P. versicolor, 

 torquatus, and colchicus readily interbreed, and the mixed 

 progeny, from whatever parentage, are perfectly fertile. 

 The effect of this introduction of foreign blood into 

 English coverts has been amazing, producing an increase 

 of size and vigour, and beautiful variations in the plumage, 

 dependent on the species whose blood predominates in the 

 cross. 



Nothing can be more interesting than the production of 

 these beautiful mongrels, which increase so rapidly that 

 Gould stated his opinion that in twenty years' time it would be 

 difficult to find a true species in this country. This, however, 

 he regarded as of little moment, as fresh birds can always be 

 obtained from their native countries, Asia Minor, China, and 



