598 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



Pheasant tribe, there is another point of interest 

 Nvhich cannot be overlooked — \\e ailu Je to their 

 value as it respects the table. The Hesli of all 

 the gallinaceous birds afi'ords to man a whole- 

 some and nutritious food, and that of the Pheas- 

 ants is, deservedly, in high estimation. Hence 

 the introduction and naturalization of the Com- 

 mon Pheasant in Western Europe is a positive 

 good ; and it is desirable, therefore, to add other 

 species to the list of those which are acclimated 

 with us. 



The Pheasants (family Phasianidai) ai'e all 

 natives of Asia. The Common Pheasant was 

 originally brought from the river Phasis, by the 

 Greeks, in some of their earlier expeditions ; 

 that of the Argonauts, under Jason, has the pop- 

 ular credit of having introduced it. However 

 this may be, the name given to the bird by the 

 Greeks, (faaiavoi, — in Latin, P/iasiamisJ — of 

 which all our modern European names for it 

 are merely corruptions, points to the banks of 

 the Phasis as the place from which it was de- 

 rived ; and, to the present day, the Pheasants of 

 Miugrelia (the Colchis of the ancients) are cele- 

 brated for their beauty and size. Extreme bril- 

 liancy of plumage is, in general, the character- 

 istic of birds dwelling in torrid regions beneath 

 a glowing sky ; such is not the case as it regards 

 the most gorgeous and beautiful of the Pheasant 

 tribe. On the conti'ary, the high mountains of 

 tlie Himalaya, bordering upon the limits of per- 

 petual snovv', are tenanted by the mo.st splendid 

 of this family. The Impeyan Pheasant is an 

 example in point : adapted for regions where 

 the temperature is, at the most, only moderate, 

 and often at a low degree, this noble bird soon 

 dies when taken from its Alpine home into the 

 burning lowlands of India; and hence arises 

 one of the difficulties in the -way of our obtain- 

 ing living specimens in Europe. But, besides 

 the Impeyan Pheasant, the Himalaya chain of 

 mountains presents us with a group or genus of 

 this family, containing a very limited number of 

 species remarkable both for their great beauty 

 and their characters, which indicate an affinity 

 to the turkeys — between which group and that 

 of the genuine Pheasants they constitute an in- 

 termediate link. The genus to which we allude 

 is that termed Tras^opcin (Cuvier), of whicli 

 three species only are known. They are ea.sily 

 distinguishable from all the rest of the Phasian- 

 id(c (at least as far as regards the male birds), 

 by the presence of large throat-wattles, or naked 

 caruncnlated flaps of skin (re.senibling those of 

 the turkey), which extend from the naked 

 cheeks, spread over the throat, and proceed 

 down each side of the neck ; while from behind 

 each eye rises a soft fleshy horn. The ■whole of 

 these appendages are capable of being contract- 

 ed and dilated at pleasure, or at least in accord- 

 ance with the emotions of anger, fear, &c., as 

 we see in ihe male turkey : the tints of the horns 

 and wattles are rich purple, mingled with scar- 

 let, and are most probably changeable from one 

 hue to another. The tail is broad and rounded, 

 and the plumage is dotted with round spots of 

 white on a brown or red ground, the effect of 

 which is very pleasing. 



Of the three species that are known at pres- 

 ent, two have been but recently introduced to 

 Science — nor, indeed, is our acquaintance with 

 the one first described of distant date. The first 

 species is the Horned Pheasant of Nepal (Tra- 

 gopaii Kalynix). It was fir.st described and 

 figured by Edwards, in the third volume of his 

 " Natural History of Birds," p. 116^partly from 

 (12.'>^') 



a drawing sent from India to Dr. Mead, and 

 partly from a head of the bird preserved in spir- 

 its, which accompanied the drawing. Edwards's 

 Hiird volume is dated IT.'iO, and his plate was 

 etched in 1749, as appears by the date inscribed 

 in the corner. The alliance of this bird to the 

 turkey was not unobserved by this writer, who 

 in his catalogue places it among that group, 

 while in his account of it he observes that it is, 

 " for shape of body and proportion of parts, pret- 

 ty much like a turkey, and may be ranged witli 

 fowls of the poultry kind." Dr. Latham, in his 

 "General History of Birds," states that these 

 birds, though by no means common, " are not 

 unfrequent in drawings done in India ; and are 

 particularly well figured in those of Mr. Middle- 

 ton and Lady Impey." . . . "In the draw- 

 ings of Sir J. Anstruther it is said to inhabit the 

 snowy regions of Thibet." Its size is between 

 that of a fowl and turkey. It is beautifully fig- 

 ured in Gould's " Centurj- of Birds." 



The second species is from Thibet and the 

 Chinese borders, and was first described and 

 figured in the "Indian Zoology," by Mr. Gray, 

 under the title of Tragopan Temminckii. Of 

 this species, as rare as it is beautiful, a living 

 specimen, presented by J. R. Reeves, E.sq., is 

 now in the Gardens of the Zoological Society, 

 and constitutes, as far as ^ve are avi'are, the first 

 example of one of the present group having 

 reached our shores alive and in health. It was 

 procured in C'hina. 



The tiiird species is from the northern range 

 of the Himalaya, and was first illustrated in Mr. 

 Gould's " Century," under the name of Trago- 

 pan HaMingtiii ; the figures are those of an 

 adult and young male, and adult female. In 

 size this species rather exceeds the Tragofan 

 Satyms — its total length being 23 inches. 



Could the Horned Pheasants, or the refulgent 

 Impeyan Pheasant, be imported in sufficient 

 numbers into our island (and we trust this will 

 be soon accomplished), there is little doubt but 

 that they might, with proper management, be- 

 come naturalized. There is nothing to fear with 

 regard to cold. They are the natives of a cold 

 or temperate region — they verge upon the line 

 of perpetual snow — so that the wooded hills of 

 our portion of the globe ^^■ould not be very un- 

 congenial to their constitution. Nor would there 

 be much difficulty in providing them with suit- 

 able food. Grain forms the staple diet of all the 

 gallinaceous tribe; hence the Peacock of India, 

 the Guinea-Fowl of Africa, the Common Pheas- 

 ant of Asia, the Turkey of America, have equal- 

 ly become naturalized and have multiplied in 

 our westeni regions ; to say nothing of the Com- 

 mon Fowl, the origin of which (the Jungle 

 Fowl) is from India, but which, from time im- 

 memorial, has been reclaimed or domesticated, 

 and has long since spread in this condition over 

 the greatest portion of the globe. Thus the food 

 of the gallinaceous tribe, and the hardiness of 

 their constitution, fit most of them, at least, for a 

 very extensive diffusion throughout the globe ; 

 and in tliis we may discern a wise arrangement 

 of Nature, inasmuch as, of all the feathered race, 

 they are the most valuable to man, and are at 

 once ornaments around his dwelling and whole- 

 some delicacies on his table. If to our poultry- 

 yard could be added the Honied Pheasahts, so 

 closely allied to them in form, habits, and gene- 

 ral manners, they would constitute a most im- 

 portant acquisition, and produce a full reward 

 for the trouble bestowed in their naturalization. 

 [London Penny Magazine. 



