40 THE PHEASANT. 



same important lesson, in saying that all the magnificence of 

 Solomon was not equal to the splendour of the lilies. 



The beautiful bird which thus displays the energies of Nature, 

 merits a particular description. Its eyes are surrounded with a 

 ring of scarlet, sprinkled with small specks of black, and the 

 iris is yellow. The fore part of the head is clothed with blackish 

 feathers, mixed with a shining purple ; the top of the head and 

 the upper part of the neck are tinged with a darkish green, 

 which bears a silky gloss. In some, the top of the head is of a 

 shining blue ; and the upper part of the neck appears sometimes 

 blue and sometimes green, as it is differently placed to the eye 

 of the spectator. The feathers of the breast, the shoulders, the 

 middle of the back, and the sides under the wings, have a black- 

 ish ground, and their edges are tinged with a colour exquisitely 

 beautiful, which appears sometimes black and sometimes purple, 

 according to the different reflections of the light : under the 

 purple, there is a transverse streak of gold colour. The tail is 

 about eighteen inches long. The legs, feet, and toes, are of the 

 colour of horn, and two of the toes are connected with a mem- 

 brane : the legs are furnished with spurs of a black colour, and 

 shorter than those of the cock. The male is far more beautiful 

 than the female. 



The beauty of the pheasant is not its only excellency. Its 

 flesh is one of the greatest dainties, and its wholesomeness is 

 equal to its delicacy. When full grown, it seems to feed indis- 

 criminately on every thing that falls in its way, and such is its 

 voracity that it is said to devour insects and reptiles, as well as 

 seeds and grain. In the woods, the hen lays eighteen or twenty 

 eggs in a season, but not above ten in a domestic state. 



Of this bird, as of most others, there are many varieties; but 

 among all these, the golden pheasant of China excels in beauty. 

 It is somewhat less than the common pheasant, being not more 

 than two feet nine inches in length. The general colour of its 

 plumage is crimson, and its head is adorned with a splendid 

 yellow crest, the feathers of which have the appearance of glossy 

 silk. The back and rump are of a fine gold colour ; the scapulars 

 are blue, and the quills brow r n, marked with yellow. The tail 

 is twenty-three inches long, and its colour chesnut speckled with 

 black. The hen is far inferior in beauty, the general colour of 

 her plumage being brown. It appears to be a hardy bird, and 

 will live and propagate in the climate of Great Britain. 



The Argus pheasant is also a magnificent bird. It derives 

 its name from its quills being ornamented with eyes resembling 

 those of the peacock's train. This bird, as well as the former, 

 and also the superb pheasant, the predominant colour of which 

 is a beautiful green, are all natives of China. 



