220 NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



in spite of the fact that the T. picta has been so long known, and of their nidification 

 nothing has been related. They dwell in thick woods on the mountains of moderate 

 elevation, and are hardy birds, the Lady Amherst pheasant being indifferent to both 

 cold and snow, and is omnivorous, like the domestic fowl. It is an extremely jealous 

 species, and will not permit the golden pheasant, its only rival, to approach the bounds 

 of its habitation. The two species are not met with either in the same valleys or on 

 the same mountains. The T. obscura resembles the T. picta, but is a darker bird in 

 all stages of its existence, and is stated to inhabit Japan, although it cannot be said that 

 this country has undoubtedly been established as its habitat. 



The genus Phasianus includes the typical pheasants, some sixteen in number. 

 It has been divided into several genera, which have been adopted by some writers 

 either wholly or in part, while other authors prefer to consider them as sub-generic 

 distinctions. Thus Calophasis was proposed for C. ellioti, Graphophasianus foi P. soem- 

 meringii, Syrmaticiis for P. reevesii, and Catreus for P. wallichii. The first of these, 

 C. ettioti, is a most lovely bird. It is a native of the mountains near Ningpo, prov- 

 ince of Che-Kiang, China, and has the sides and back of neck bluish-gray, graduating 

 into white ; chin and throat black ; back and breast metallic golden ; lower breast 

 and abdomen pure white, flanks irregularly barred with black, white, and chestnut ; 

 under tail-coverts deep chestnut and black ; upper scapulars black margined with 

 white, forming a bar on the shoulder ; lesser wing-coverts maroon chestnut, reflecting 

 a fiery metallic tint, greater coverts deep chestnut with a black bar followed by a 

 broad white tip, making a white band across the wing ; lower back and rump steel- 

 black barred with white, upper tail-coverts gray mottled with black ; tail long and 

 barred alternately with stone-gray and chestnut, the latter narrowly bordered basally 

 with black ; legs bluish-gray, araied with well-developed spurs ; skin of face scarlet. 

 The hen is very like a grouse in her coloring ; with a black throat, this hue extending 

 on to the breast, under-parts white ; side of head reddish cream-color ; upper parts 

 yellowish and reddish brown, barred and mottled with black. An ally to this brilliant 

 bird was discovered by Mr. Hume in Munipur. It has some of the markings of C. 

 ellioti, but differs in the throat and upper breast, which is metallic blue-black, and in 

 the under-parts, which are maroon chestnut with metallic crimson fringes to the 

 feathers. The female has the neck, throat, and breast a dull pale sienna-brown, abdo- 

 men dingy pale ochraceous, upper parts and tail similar to the hen of the other species. 

 It is not so handsome a bird as the C. ettioti, but nevertheless is remarkable for its 

 peculiar coloration. They dwell in the dense forests and are very shy and difficult to 

 shoot, but not much is known of their economy and habits. Japan produces a beauti- 

 tiful species, the -P. soemmeringii, and a variety of it called P. scintillans, a most 

 attractive species with a very long tail and a plumage generally of a metallic copper. 

 Very little is known about these birds in their wild state, but in captivity they are 

 pugnacious, the male frequently killing the female when confined in the same enclo- 

 sure. Another gorgeous pheasant is the P. reevesii from northern China. This has a 

 general golden yellow plumage, each feather barred with black ; flanks white, the chestnut 

 margin separated from the white by a black bar, the abdomen black. The tail is ex- 

 cessively long, the central feathers sometimes reaching five and six feet in length. 

 They are grayish-white, margined with deep buff, and barred with black and chestnut. 

 These feathers are sometimes worn by the mandarins in their hats. Reeves' pheasant 

 is a large bird, and its flesh is white and very delicate. It is numerous in the Tung- 

 ling or eastern burial-places of the Chinese emperors, situated northeast of Pekin, and 



