3y PREFACE. 



some of these are well suited to our coverts, whilst others 

 are regarded as ornamental birds. A few years since the 

 ■only pheasant breeding wild in England was the common 

 «pecies {Phasianus colcMcus) ; our coverts now possess the 

 ■Chinese (P. torquatus), the Mongolian (P. mongolicus) , the 

 Japanese (P. versicolor), and the Prince of Wales's (P. prmci- 

 palis) species ; whilst the Reeves's pheasant (P. reevesii), well 

 iidapted both for sporting and culinary purposes^ has been bred 

 in the forests of Scotland. In the same manner, our aviaries 

 have recently been enriched by the addition of the Amherst 

 pheasant {Thaumalea amherstise) and others, which, by their 

 exquisite beauty, eclipse even the gorgeous coloration and 

 elegant markings of the comparatively well-known Gold and 

 Silver pheasants. 



To indicate and illustrate these various species, to give 

 as far as is known their natural history, to describe the 

 best methods of rearing them in preserves and inclosed 

 pheasantrieSj to enter into the numerous details respecting 

 their food, management, protection, rearing, diseases, &c.j is 

 the object at which I have aimed in the preparation of th.is 

 "work. 



In the following chapters I first treat of the natural 

 history o£ the pheasants generally — their food, habits, 

 nesting, &c. Then follows the consideration of their 

 management in preserves, the details of the different 

 methods of feeding the birds, their protection from their 

 numerous enemies, the formation of coverts, &c. This is 

 succeeded by an account of their treatment in inclosed 

 pheasantries, the hatching of the eggs, rearing and feeding 

 the young birds, and the prevention and cure of their 

 diseases. 



