Subfamily FHASIANINiS. 

 Genus PHASIANUS or TRUE PHEASANTS. 



Type PHASIANUS COLCHICUS. 



Fhasianus of Linnaeus (1766). — The birds comprising the 

 present genus are characterised by the absence of any occipital 

 crest, and by their long wedge-shaped and graduated tail. The 

 wings are short and rounded ; the tail is composed of eighteen 

 feathers. The tarsus is moderately long, and armed in the male 

 with a conical sharp spur. The bill is of medium length, the 

 upper mandible convex, the tip bent downwards ; nostrils basal, 

 and shielded by a membrane. Three toes in front, one behind ; 

 hind toe articulated upon the tarsus. 



This genus is composed of some thirteen species, which are 

 confined to the Eastern Hemisphere, being inhabitants of the 

 south-eastern Palsearctic region and the northern Oriental region. 

 One species is resident in the British Islands. 



The True Pheasants are dwellers in woodland districts, where 

 plenty of cover affords them shelter. They are birds of rapid 

 flight, and progress on the ground by running and walking. 

 Their notes are harsh and discordant. They subsist chiefly on 

 grain, seeds, fruits, berries, tender shoots, insects, larvae, and 

 worms. Their nests are slight, and made upon the ground, and 

 their eggs are numerous, unspotted brown or green. They are 

 polygamous. Their flesh is highly esteemed for the table. 



