58 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS 



on their foes, furred and feathered. The brook so 

 necessary for their comfort is the lurking- place of the 

 mink. The grateful shade of the trees harbors hawks 

 and owls, and many a brood will be left motherless, 

 and many a hen will be bereft of her young, unless all 

 such depredators be ruthlessly exterminated." 



The male bird of the true Mongolian pheasants is 

 very handsome. The head is of an iridescent green, 

 reflecting blue and purple, and about the neck is the 

 broad white band which suggested the technical name 

 Torquatus, ring-neck. The English pheasant has lost 

 this white ring about its neck, and in some specimens 

 it is represented by a few white feathers. Both birds 

 have reddish-chestnut breasts, reflecting purple, and 

 have long tails barred with black. The English birds 

 are regarded as better than the true Mongolians for 

 American covers, but the Mongolians are handsomer 

 birds, on account of the broad white collar about the 

 neck. The flesh of both birds is excellent, nearly as 

 white as the domestic chicken, and far more palatable. 

 I have eaten them both at the same meal, and doubt if 

 I could detect the difference, if unaware which bird was 

 served. The English bird is said to be somewhat 

 heavier, the Mongolian seemed to me to possibly have 

 a more gamy flavor. 



There are many other beautiful pheasants which 

 may some day be added to our fauna, but the Mongo- 

 lian and the English pheasants are those which are 

 now interesting to sportsmen. 



In shooting pheasants, beat the sides of the fields 

 early in the day and at evening, and the dog will soon 

 discover the trail of the birds when they have run out 



