388 FRAGMENTS. 



THERE are many conjectures as to the cause of pure 

 white or pied pheasants suddenly appearing in a preserve, 

 which had only been stocked with the common coloured 

 birds. The most reasonable solution seems to be that 

 white blood, although remote, might appear after several 

 generations. I have been led to think so, from seeing a 

 whole brood of pheasants turn out milk-white, when the 

 parents were both of the ordinary kind. More often, 

 however, there are only one or two white birds of the 

 same hatch. At Kossdhu, one white hen was observed 

 the second season after pheasants were turned out. It 

 was unfortunately caught in a vermin-trap in the autumn. 

 Several years elapsed before any more were seen, when 

 one cock and two hens appeared among the other phea- 

 sants collected on the stubbles at the beginning of winter. 

 These were most probably hatched in the same nide. 

 Since then several more have been noticed at different 

 periods. Pied pheasants have never been seen there, 

 although in many places they are less uncommon than the 

 white. I killed one, very prettily marked, in Koxburgh- 

 shire, which I put up several times before getting a shot 

 at it. The tail and wing-pinions were pure white ; head, 

 neck, and back spotted with white feathers, and legs the 

 colour of a white fowl's. The spurs were exceedingly long 

 and sharp, which, together with its size and brilliancy of 

 plumage, showed it must have been very old. 



As there are many preserves where neither pied nor 

 white pheasants have ever been heard of, I am strongly 

 of opinion that a sprinkling of white pheasants have ori- 



