L'EEVES'S PHEASANT. 19! 



uppcirtunity of seeiuc^ a bundle of tliirty or forty of tlioso tail 

 feathers^ whicli were bvont^lit from C'liina, ;ui(I J I'dund ninoiiLrst 

 tlieni siicciinens of ovei-y loni!;tli fi-oui iNii]. to 7fl." The 

 species was iiaiiied l)y Ijatlia.in P. .-injirrlntx. 'rcmiiiiiiek 

 deseribed it under tlie title of .h\ils(ni snjirrhr m Ids " Piyeons 

 et dallinaces," puljlished in 18 h'!. At this date it was knnwn 

 to liini only by the two central tail feathers, and the ilra\vin<j's 

 of native Chinese artists. Subsequeidly, howevei', he obtaineil 

 a, skin of the male, which he figured in his '' Planches 

 coldviees," giving it the erroneous name of P mii'-df us. 1'liis 

 ])late was copied on a reduced scale in Jardine's " Naturalist's 

 Library," published in iHol. Dr. J. E. (Ji'ay, in his " Indi ui 

 Zodlog-s-," n;inie(] the bird after the gentleman b\' vvln.ini it 

 was introduced into England, and l:)y this name it is now 

 generally known. 



The successful introduction of the living birds now in 

 England is owing to the condjined efforts of the late Mr. 

 .John J. Stone and Mr. Walter H. :\ledhnrst, 11. M. Consul at 

 Hankow. Owi))D' to their e.vertions, this splendiil jihcasant 

 is now tirndy establisheil in this countrv, an<l like the /'. 

 ve ysi col (J r ■,md P. t(>r(iiiiifuf, is to be seen at large in our woods, 

 and specimens are occasionally to be Ijought In tlie wholesale 

 markets. 



For several vears ]\tr. Stone made continuous elforts to 

 ol)ta,in this and other new pheasants from Xortheiai China, 

 but with no satisfactory results until the aitl of Mr. ]\Iedhurst 

 was obtained. It is mainly due to that gentleman's thorough 

 knowledge of the natives of China, and of their laugiiage, 

 that the true lialiltat of this bird was ascertained, and an 

 ex])erienced Chinaman sent into the interior for the jiurpi se 

 of collecting this and other rare pheasants, of which cDloiired 

 drawings had been supplied foi' his guidance. 



The first three lots of birds (jbtamed all died before 

 reaching liingland, with the e-\ce|ition nf one male, wliudi 

 lived for af)out three months. The fourth lot was obtained 

 111 the direction (if Syeehney, about tliiity days' jonriiey fr(jin 



