CHAPTEK XIX. 



PHEASANTS A I) ATT El) TO THE AVIARY 



(CONTINUED). 



THE AMHKRST PHEASANT [THAUMALEA 

 AMHEkSTIjE). 



p-1!|]S|aDY AMHERST'S Pheasant was first made known 

 ■-lilSf to Europeans by two male specimens presented 

 ■■JiKTH^ by tlie King of Ava to Sir Archibald Campbell, 

 and by him given to Lady Amherst, who retained 

 '''^ them in India for about two years, and sneceeded in 

 l:)ringing both alive to England, where, however, they 

 lived only a few weeks. These specimens were figured and 

 described under the title of riiUNiauiis <rmJie)-sti;v Ijy Mr. B. 

 Leadbeater in the " Ijinnean Transactions" for 18'.^8. Since 

 that time until recently n(] li\"iug specimens have been seen 

 in Euro])e, and in lS(.>o the male was figured in I)r. P. L. 

 Sclater's list of desiderata required by the Zoological Society. 

 The successful re-introdiiction of this remarkable species is 

 entirely i.iwing to the combincil efforts of Mr. J. J. Stone and 

 Mr. W Medhurst, the British Consul at Shanghai, who 

 obtained twenty specimens in Western ^'unan, eight of which 

 reached Shanghai alive, and six — five males and one female — 

 were successfully located m the Zoological (iiardeTis, Regent's 

 Park, in July, l.Sli".'. Since that time other specimens have 

 been obtained, a,uil the species has bred freely in cc.mfinement, 

 and even in tlie open covert. 



The general appearance of the s])ecies is strikint^lv 



