THE AMHERST PHEASANT. 233 



parent species, adding : " Contrary to my intention of not 

 figuring any hybrid pheasants, I have been induced to show 

 this one, uicrely from its great beauty aud the comparative 

 rarity of at Iciist one of its parents; but at the same time I 

 cannot but believe that all those who breed pheasants, 

 either for pleasure or profit, woidd best consult their own 

 interests by keeping their Ijirds as pure in blood as possible, 

 allowing no foi-eign strain to intermingle, and resobitelv 

 setting their faces against even sucli a nKignificeut impostor 

 as here offers himself for our admiration." I cptote this 

 passage as illustrative of the beauty of the birds, although I 

 differ entirely from the conclusions arrived at by the writer. 

 There can Ije no possible doubt of the perfect fertility of the 

 half-bred Amhersts. Mated with the pure Amherst, tliree- 

 (|uarter pure-bred birds are the result; thesf show verv little 

 trace of the (-lulden species. The half-bred (lold and Ainlicrst 

 are equally fertile when mated with one another, and an 

 intermeiliate breed may be perpetuated, which possesses the 

 nnited beauties of both parent ^pecles, and be perfectly 

 permanent in its characters. 



The perpetuation of permanent races produced liy the 

 union of two perfectly distinct species is well known to all 

 who do not wilfully shut their eyes to those facts whirh do 

 not square witii tlieii' theories. The late i\Ir. I'l Blytli, a 

 most accurate obsi.n'ver, a.nd \vluise knowb.Mlge of species «-as 

 unsurpassed, informed me that over a large extent of fndia 

 no other d(.)mestic goose is known e,xce].it the cross between 

 the Chinese species (^liiKcr (■i/(jiioiili:^) , ciiid the di.iniesticated 

 v;iriety of the grey-lag guose (^litsir Jri-uf:) . 



\a the case of the true pheasants, 1'. coli'hiciis, P. 

 tvrij i(atii.-<, and I', versicolor, eveiw variety of interbreeding 

 takes place, and the iuternieiliate forms can be [)erpetua.ted 

 as may be elesired; i^r, as was originally the case with the F. 

 rrr.s'ii-olor in this country, the pure breed cam be established 

 freun a single individual. 



^Most luituralists maintain that these three pheasants are 



