VARIETIES OP PHEASANT. 229 



severance in breeding under a hen. The hen pheasant herself 

 is so shy that she scarcely ever hatches, unless in an unusually 

 sheltered place, with shrubs and bushes arranged to re- 

 semble nature as much as possible. 



The Silver Pheasant is most easily tamed of all the 

 varieties, and is also the hardiest ; whilst, in our opinion, it 

 equals any in beauty. The cock bird of this breed has a blue 

 crest, and all the upper part of the body is a silvery white, 

 most exquisitely pencilled with fine black lines arranged 

 with the most mathematical precision. Breast and under parts 

 usually quite black, but sometimes a little mottled. The hen 

 is brown, but remarkably neat and pretty. 



This bird, if home-reared, may have its liberty in the 

 poultry-yard, feeding with the other fowls ; and has often been 

 known to lay forty or fifty eggs. There appears, therefore, 

 every reason to believe that with perseverance it might bo 

 rendered quite a domestic, and even profitable variety. 



HYBRIDS between the Common Pheasant and other birds 

 are not unfrequent. They have been known to breed with 

 the Black Cock, Turkey, Guinea-fowl, and common domestic 

 hen ; the latter cross being not at all uncommon, as every 

 gamekeeper knows. Such hybrids are, however, invariably 

 sterile amongst themselves, and Mr. W. B. Tegetrneier has 

 declared them to be totally unproductive when mated even 

 with the parent ; but there is undoubted evidence* of at least 

 two birds having been reared as the produce of such a cross, 

 mated again with the cock pheasant. The subject is only 

 interesting from the singular fact, that although a cock 

 pheasant is a much smaller bird than the domestic fowl, the 

 cross produced is almost invariably very much larger in size 

 than the mother, probably in consequence of the strong 

 " wild blood " introduced ; and hence some may think the 

 experiment worth repeating. It is certainly true that by long 

 * See " Proceedings of the Zoological Society," 1836. 



