ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 

 BULLETIN 



Published by the New York Zoological Society 



Vol. XX. 



JULY, 1917 



Number 4 



PHEASANTS FOR THE AVIAKY 



By Lee S. Crandall 



COLOR-longing is a deeply seated human 

 instinct, which cold conventions force us 

 to suppress We are starved for color 

 and it is seldom that we are able fully to sat- 

 isfy our desire. Especially is this true during 

 the winter, when our chromatic environment is 

 varied but little. With the coming of spring. 

 Nature strives to aid us, for it is only under her 

 tuition that we are able to enjoy the fullest 

 prismatic pleasures. The glories of the garden 

 suffice for many, but active life lends a charm 

 which color alone does not possess. For this we 

 must seek the birds. 



Flower cultivation is a long-established pur- 

 suit, in which wonders have been achieved. We 

 liave taken the simple wild flowers of field and 

 hedgerow and given them beauty far beyond 

 their original attainment. 



With birds we have not progressed so far. 

 A few species, most of which have a distinct 

 economic value, have been thoroughly domesti- 

 cated. Some have been widely diversified, often 

 with worthy purpose, though not always with 

 happy result. But the great numbers of birds 

 whose strongest appeal is aesthetic, are known 

 to us only from pictures or mounted specimens. 

 We are just beginning to realize that many of 

 them can be cultivated with little more care than 

 we devote to our gardens. We may not hope to 

 imiDrove them. Indeed, there is no need for 

 it. But at least we can have them near us, with 

 full assurance that the normal functions of their 

 lives, including courtship and reproduction, will 

 be carried out. 



With increasing frequency, come inquiries for 

 birds which have at once beauty and viability. 

 The inevitable reply is — Pheasants. Here we 



find the ideal ornamental birds. Their marvel- 

 ous range of color and pattern, their general 

 hardiness and contentment in captivity, satis- 

 fy all of the conditions. The full cycle of their 

 existence is completed as fully in the aviary as 

 in the great forests of the East. 



There are nearly 100 species of pheasants, 

 about twentjr of which ordinarily are obtainable 

 and thrive without excessive attention. Fortu- 

 nately, this number includes many of the more 

 beautiful. 



No bird is more brilliantly plumaged than the 

 Golden Pheasant. Its glowing scarlet breast, 

 golden crest, orange cape and green back are 

 unsurpassed. The closely-allied Lady Amherst 

 Pheasant, while scarcely so splendid, is no less 

 attractive. The male is chiefly metallic green 

 above, with bright red crest and white, black- 

 edged cape. The breast is of the same color 

 as the back, while the abdomen is white. The 

 females of these two species are ver}^ similar, 

 but the Lady Amherst is darker in tone, with 

 greenish legs and a bare space around the eye. 



These two pheasants are natives of the hills 

 of China. They are quite indifferent to cold 

 and during zero weather, will roost in perfect 

 comfort out of doors. Both are always obtain- 

 able from dealers. 



The Silver Pheasant is larger than the fore- 

 going and also differs in general appearance. 

 The color scheme of the male is decidedly sat- 

 isfying, the feathers of the upper parts being- 

 white, delicately reticulated with black. The 

 bushy crest and the breast are bluish-black, 

 forming a pleasing contrast with the red legs 

 and feet. The female is an almost uniform brown. 

 This species is as easily kept as a barn-yard 



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