190 PHEASANTS FOR COVERTS AND AVIARIES. 



at Macao the beautiful P. vpneratus of Temminck, tlie 

 P. rrpreHit of (-rray, now commonly known b}^ the name of 

 the Reeves's I'heasant, was seen. It is tlie Clicr-hdi oF tlic 

 Chinese. 



"The longest tail feathers of the bird are OFr.. in length, 

 anil are placed in the caps of the players when ai ting' 

 military characters. This I observed at Canton, where some 

 of the beautifid tail feathers (rather in a dirty condition, like 

 the actors tlieniselves, who, in their tawilry dresses reminded 

 nie of the chimney-sweepers in London on a May-day) were 

 placed erect on each side of their caps as a decoration. 



'' The Chinese do not venerate this bird, as was lirs*" 

 supposed, and which may have caused Temminck to bestow 

 upoa it the name of vcnevatus ; but it is superstitiously believed 

 that the blood of the bird possesses poistnn.ius properties, and 

 that the Mandarins, when in expectation of losing their iMnk 

 :iud being suddenly jmt to death by order of the Emperor, 

 preserve some of it on a handkerchief in a dried state, on 

 sucking whicli they fall down and instantly expire. 



" Mr. Beale's first male specimen, obtained in 18()8, was 

 kept in a healthy state for thirteen years ; after its death he 

 eudeav(.>ured to procure others, but dul not succeed until iSol, 

 Avlien four sjieciraens were brought from the interior of China, 

 and purchased by him for 130 dollars ; these were, I believe, 

 taken to England sufjsequently by Mr. Reeves." 



The Krst living bird of this s]iecies was imported into 

 Europe about the year l.Sol 1^3' ilr. Keeves (of the firm of 

 Dent and Co.). 'This sj^ecimen was a male. The son of this 

 gentleman, Mr. Jijhn R. Reeves, brought a female over in 

 I8o8, and the pair were in the Zoological (larilons at the 

 same time ; but the male being old, they did not breed. 

 Some cross-bred liirds were reared from the hen, which died 

 in 18dU. 



Dr. Jjatham, in his "General History of F>irds," gave a 

 description of this species from a drawing and tad feathers in 

 the possession of iSu- J. Anstruther. He states : — " I had an 



