-1862.] LETTER FROM DR. LAMPREY. 221 
Eagle, which is the form generally given to the representation of it 
in heraldry, &c., and current among westerns of the present day. It 
may yet be discovered, by some explorer of the extensive mountain- 
ranges adjacent on all sides to the north of China, that there is a 
bird in plumage and general character resembling the Fung ; perhaps 
it may be a hybrid between two of the Pheasant tribe. 
**T have seen, in all, four distinct kinds of Pheasants in the markets 
of Tien Tsin: the uninterrupted cold of winter allows of their being 
brought in large quantities from remote places, and preserves them 
fit for use till the spring. Of one of these Pheasants I sent a specimen 
last year to Mr. Swinhoe, Consul of Formosa, and one of your corre- 
sponding members, which he describes as being ‘a kind of Crosso- 
ptilon, perhaps the female of the C. ¢ibetanum.’ The bird had all the 
appearance of a male, in having spurs, though it was impossible to 
ascertain its sex, as it had been previously gutted. No doubt this 
bird will be brought to your notice by this zealous naturalist on his 
arrival in England. During the last winter, I procured another fine 
specimen of this bird; but after preparing the skin, a young dog un- 
fortunately got at it and tore it up. Its plumage was the same as 
that of the previous specimen. The meat of this kind of Pheasant 
is exceedingly delicate, and the body is nearly as bulky as that of a 
small-sized Turkey. 
** Another kind of Pheasant found in the Tien Tsin market bears 
out the description of the Euplocamus pucrasia of the ‘ Naturalist’s 
Library,’ so common on the hills in India. Although the preserved 
skins of this bird are in too bad a condition for mounting, they 
may serve to identify the species. They remained too long in a 
frozen state to admit of their being preserved properly. 
“In the event of the P. superbus not reaching home alive, I have 
by me good skins of the male and female, though the tail-feathers do 
not show their full length. The fact is that the longest feathers are 
removed before exposing the bird for sale, and appropriated for de- 
corating the dress of warrior-chiefs in theatrical representations. 
**The common Ring-necked Pheasant (P. torquatus) constitutes 
the fourth and most abundant kind found in the markets. The num- 
bers of these birds that are sold every winter is wonderful. It was 
noticed that in birds apparently of the same age there was frequently 
a great disparity of size, almost giving one the idea of two species, 
though it is not improbable that this difference may be attributed to 
the different circumstances of food and locality. 
**'The Partridges found in the market at Tien Tsin are not unlike 
the English (Perdix cinerea), except that the marking on the breast 
of the Chinese bird is darker. They were abundant last winter. I 
am also assured that the Red-legged Partridge was shot in the hills 
north of Pekin, though this bird did not make its appearance in the 
market at Tien Tsin. 
** Quails are very common ; they are sold mostly alive, and trained 
for fighting, as in India. There is a second kind, which might be 
designated the Bush Quail,—a solitary bird smaller than the other, 
and speckled.” 
