THE PHEASANT. 



435 



Although the Argus is hardly larger than an ordinary fowl, the 

 plumage is so greatly developed that its total length measures more 

 than five feet. The head and the back of the neck are covered with 

 short brown feathers, and the neck and the upper part of the breast 

 are warm chestnut-brown, covered with spots of yellow and black, and 

 similar tints are formed on the back. The tail is deep chestnut, cov- 



The Argus Pheasant {Argus gigantetis). 



ered with white spots, each spot being surrounded with a black 

 ring. 



The Argus Pheasant inhabits Sumatra and neighboring localities. 



The well-known Pheasant affords a triumphant instance of the j^uc- 

 cess with which a bird of a strange country may be acclimatized to this 

 island with some little assistance from its owners. 



Originally, the Pheasant was an inhabitant of Asia Minor, and has 

 been by degrees introduced into many European countries, where its 

 beauty of form and plumage and the delicacy of its flesh made it a 

 welcome visitor. 



