Zoo Notes 
of metallic blue. The 
crest, centre-tail feathers, 
and upper back are pure 
white, while the white 
back is flanked on each 
side by a patch of 
metallic maroon, and 
the face and legs are 
bright red. The hen 
has similar vermilion 
facings, and is prettily 
pencilled with brown, 
black, and buff. Swin- 
hoe’s Pheasant is con- 
stantly obtainable, but 
still rather dear. 
a BAR-TAILED PHEASANT. 
BETTER known as Reeves’ Pheasant, the 
Phasianus reevest of Northern 
China cannot nowadays be 
called a rare species here, as it 
is not unfrequently bred as a sporting 
bird, and occasionally appears in the poul- 
terers’ shops. Here the enormous length 
of the cock’s tail attracts attention, this 
appendage in a fine specimen reaching the 
extraordinary length of six feet. The plu- 
mage, as the photograph shows, is extremely 
handsome in its markings, and as the lheht 
ground-colour is mainly a bright orange- 
yellow, the effect is remarkable. The hen 
has a tail of only moderate 
length and very beautiful, 
though plain, plumage, the 
markings being very intricate. 
Although this species belongs 
to the same group as the 
common pheasant, the re- 
lationship is not very close, 
and the hybrids are usually 
infertile. 
Bar=tailed 
Pheasant. 
wa 
Far otherwise is it with the 
Ring-necked 
Pheasant, which, 
turned loose in 
our woods considerably more 
than a century ago, has now 
become so thoroughly inter- 
Ring-necked 
Pheasant. 
Photos by 
W. P. Dando, F.Z.S. 
371 
mixed with the old 
“ dark -necked”’ breed 
(P. colchicus) that a pure 
specimen of either 1s 
hardly to be found. For 
the benefit of those who 
may desire such informa- 
tion, 1t may be pointed 
out that the true ring- 
neck, in addition to his 
white collar and eye- 
brows, should have, as 
above stated, the flat 
of the wing and the 
lower back French-grey 
(the latter with a gloss 
of green), and be much 
hghter on the flanks 
than on the breast. The true old English 
pheasant (P. colchicus), on the other hand, 
should not only show no white on the 
head and neck, but have the flat of the 
wing pale brown and the lower back 
maroon, with no grey or green tinge, 
while the ground-colour of the flanks should 
be rich deep bay, like that of the breast, 
the mere absence of the ring being, by 
itself, no criterion of the purity of the 
strain. The hens are very hard to distinguish, 
although a ring-necked hen now in the 
Gardens is certainly very hght in colour. 
SS 
RING-NECKED PHEASANT. 
