MULES VARIETIES. 



to swallow ; whereas, according to report, they 

 will not touch the frog, of which ducks are so 

 fond. A pheasant was shot by T. Day, Esq. of 

 Herts, the crop of which contained more than half 

 a pint of that destructive insect the wire-worm. 

 And the number of 1606 grains of barley were 

 taken from the crop of a pheasant at Bury in Suf- 

 folk, in 1727. 



The progeny between the pheasant and the com- 

 mon fowl, are necessarily MULES, as proceeding 

 from different species, although of the same genus. 

 They may be obtained, with some little difficulty, 

 which they scarcely repay, as being neither an im- 

 provement in form nor goodness of the flesh. It is 

 recommended, as the best method, to confine a 

 cock-pheasant half grown with two pullets of the 

 same age, either game, bantam, or common, as may 

 be desired : or to make a house for common hens 

 in a pheasant preserve near home, where they will 

 soon associate with the pheasants, and be trodden 

 by the cocks. Hybrids, or mules, between the 

 pheasant and black grouse, have been occasionally 

 found on the moors. 



The best known VARIETIES of the pheasant, are 

 the GOLDEN, the SILVER, the PEACOCK or SPOTTED, 

 and the COMMON EUROPEAN or ENGLISH, generally 

 brown with a less brilliancy of colouring. Mr. Cas- 

 tang, however, enumerates six distinct varieties, ex- 

 clusive of the common, as follow : the GOLD and 

 SILVER, natives of China, and very hardy in this 

 country, and .good breeders. The RING-NECKS, 



