CHAPTER XIX. 



PHEASANTS ADAPTED TO THE AYIARY 

 (COJNTIISUED). 



THE AMHERST PHEASANT {THAVMALEA} 

 AMHERSTI^). 



ADY AMHERST'S Pheasant was first made known 

 to Europeans by two male specimens presented 

 by the King of Ava to Sir Archibald Campbell, 

 and by him given to Lady Amherst, who retained 

 them in India for about two years, and succeeded in 

 bringing both alive to England, where, however, they 

 lived only a few weeks. These specimens were figured and 

 described under the title of Phasiamis amherstice by Mr. B. 

 Leadbeater in the " Linn^ean Transactions" for 1828. Since 

 that time until recently no living specimens have been seen 

 in Europe, and in 1863 the male was figured in Mr. P. L<, 

 Sclater's list of desiderata required by the Zoological Society.. 

 The successful re-introduction of this remarkable species is 

 entirely owing to the combined efforts of Mr, J. J. Stone and 

 Mr. W. Medhurst, Her Majesty's Consul at Shanghai, who 

 obtained twenty specimens in Western Yunan, eight of whichi 

 reached Shanghai alive, and six — fire males and one female — - 

 were successfully located in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's 

 Park, in July, 1869. Since that time other specimens have- 

 been obtained, and the species has bred freely in confinement_, 

 and even in the open covert. 



The general appearance of the species is strikingly 



