38 PHEASANTS FOB COVERTS AND AVI ABIES. 



six thousand birds were bagged in the immediate neighbour- 

 hood of the city of Auckland. Pheasants were first introduced 

 into the province of Auckland about twenty years since, seven 

 males and two females, the only survivors of two dozen 

 shipped in China, comprising the original stock of the 

 Chinese species. At the same time a number of the common 

 species were liberated in another part of the colony. These 

 were supplemented by six more Chinese birds in 1856. Both 

 species have multiplied exceedingly, but their multiplication 

 has in many places been lessened by the employment of 

 phosphorised oats laid down to poison the rabbits. 



The pheasant has also been introduced into several of the 

 islands of the Pacific. By the kindness of Lieut. Cli. de 

 Crespigny, of H.M.S. CuraQoa, I received a specimen of 

 the pheasants which are now breeding in the Samoan Islands. 

 This pheasant is undoubtedly of the Chinese ring-necked 

 species, the neck being nearly surrounded by the distinguishing- 

 white collar, but there is a considerable differeuce in the 

 colour of the neck at the base and the scapular feathers, 

 which are much lighter than in our ordinary species. 



The Chinese pheasant was introduced by the Portuguese 

 into the island of St. Helena in the year 1513, and has 

 increased in numbers to a very considerable extent ; but the 

 present representatives of the original stock differ somewhat 

 from their ancestors, both in the colour and markings of the 

 plumage, as is described in the chapter on that species. 



Very successful attempts have been made to introduce 

 the different species of pheasants into North America as game 

 birds, where in many parts they have become thoroughly 

 acclimatised. The original stocks from whence the pheasants 

 in the Western States were descended were imported direct 

 from China, consequently the ring-necked pheasant (P. 

 torquatus) and the Mongolian (P. mongoUcus) are common in 

 localities where the old English pheasant (P. colchicus) is almost 

 unknown, although the latter has been introduced into the 

 Eastern States on the Atlantic sea board. 



