26 



Fancy PnEASA.N'if'g. 



condescends to send out true pairs of it. It does not 

 seem to thrive in captivity so well as some other species, 

 and the cock is addicted to the cruel habit of killing the 

 female, in common with the next species. Such birds, 

 of course, want careful watching, and besides the plan 

 of tying the legs I recommended in the introduction, it 

 might be well to try clipping the cock's Agings and 

 allowing the hen full power of flight, with a shelf to 

 retire to on which some food and water could be 

 placed. The paroxysm of unnatural fury appears to 

 come on after pairing in this species and the next ; hut 

 it is probably often caused by coldness or obstinacy 

 on the part of the hen — in some cases, at all event s. At 

 any rate, the more liberty the birds have the less likely 

 are such dispositions to manifest themselves or give rise 

 to fatal results. 



The Copper ok Soemmeeeing's Pheasant. 

 (Phasianus soemmerringii. ) 



Not only gold and silver, but also the baser metal, 

 are represented in the feathers of the Pheasant family, 

 for the present bird well deserves its name, the male 

 being of a warm brown, with a rich copper head and 

 neck, and bright copper pencilling on the back and 

 saddle. There is a "sport" formerly named as a 

 species— the Sparkling Pheasant (Phasianus scintillans), 

 in which there is also some white pencilling on the 

 saddle, but this is not now considered as distinct, as it 

 occurs together with the type. Tlie tail in both is buft" 

 barred with cinnamon, and!^ is proportionately longer 

 than that of the common Pheasant, though the bird 

 itself is not larger. 



The hen, however, has a shorter tail than the 

 common Pheasant hen ; she is of a mottled brown 

 colour without any specially characteristic point ex- 

 cept the white-tipped cinnamon outer tail-feathers, 

 which will at once distinguish her from any hen 

 Pheasant of similar type except Elliot's, which has 

 special markings of her own, as detailed above. 



The Copper Pheasant is a Japanese bird, but, unlike 

 the Green, is not found in nearly all the islands, but 

 only in Hondo and Kiusiu. The male has a mo.'t un- 

 pleasant note, like the filing of a saw ; in captivity, as 

 above remarked, he has a very bad character for 

 ruffianly behaviour to his wife. But he certainly is a 

 splendid-looking bird in his rich, though comparatively 

 sober plumage, which many people would admire more 

 than the brighter and more strongly contrasted hues of 

 other well-known Pheasants. I read a story some time 

 back entitled, " The Copper Pheasant," in which the 

 heroine had copied a dress, the wearing of which caused 

 a great deal of complications, from the plumage of this 

 bird, an example which might be followed with regard 

 toother species — at any rate,' for "fancy dress" pur- 

 poses, if not for every-day wear. 



Eeeves's Pheasant. 

 (Phasianus Beevesii. ) 



First described by Marco I'olo, the celebrated Vene 

 tian traveller in the middle ages, this splendid Pheasant 

 was very long in getting introduced to the general body 

 of European naturalists. Now, however, it bids fair to 

 be particularly well known, having been turned out to 

 breed in the open in several parts of the British Islands, 

 for, as a native of North China, it is found very hardy 

 even in Scotland. 



It is a very big bird, as large aS the lighter breeds of 

 poultry, and the cock's tail is disproportionately long, 

 reaching nearly two yards in the centre feathers. The 

 colour is equally striking in this sex, being generally of 

 a golden yellow laced with black ; on the flat of the 

 wing and the flanks, however, the ground colour is 

 white and the lacing black and chocolate respectively. 

 The crown is white and the face black, succeeded by a 

 white collar and then by another black one. The tail 



is pale grey barred with black. The hen is very beauti- 

 fully mottled with two shades of brown, and has a dark 

 head, with buff eyebrows and throat, and some white 

 speckling on the upper back. Her tail is not much 

 longer in proportion than that of the ordinary hen 

 Pheasants, but her size and peculiar markings will 

 distinguish her from the hen of any other species. 



The length of this bird's tail makes a large space 

 necessary if that appendage is to be kept in show condi- 

 tion, and so it is less suitable for amateurs than most 

 other species, in spite of its great beauty and very unique 

 appearance. The voung also are not very easy to rear 

 in coniiaement, although doing well in the open. As I 

 said above, this species has been taken up as a snorting 

 bird, and is now regularly shot in some places, and may 

 even appear in the market. It is eminently suited for 

 this purpose, being very showy, a very rapid flier, and 

 excellent for the table. 



On this account it is likely to become more popular, 

 and eggs for placing under ordinary Pheasants to he in 

 demand. But it should be mentioned that for shooting 

 this species should only be turned out in hilly, broken 

 ground with heavy undergrowth, so that the birds can- 

 not run along as they would otherwise do, but have to 

 rise at once, attording a magnificent spectacle and a 

 chance for a shot. A curious fact is that, although so 

 rapid on the wing, the cock Reeves's Pheasant can stop 

 dead by turning short and spreading his long tail, which 

 thus acts as a brake. Mr. J. G. Millais, so well known 

 as an artist and sportsman, has given a most beautiful 

 drawing of the bird in the act, which is reproduced in 

 the last edition of Mr. Tegetmeier's work, and reminds 

 one strikingly of Japanese pictures. Reeves's Pheasant 

 is a very quiet species, the cock's note being a most 

 remarkable one for a bird of the kind — a feeble pipe like 

 that of some little song-bird. This noble Pheasant has 

 been crossed with the ordinary mongrel birds and with 

 the Ring-necked Pheasant, the progeny once at all 

 events in the latter case proving fertile. But this is 

 not usually the case in hybrids from this Pheasant with 

 its relatives, and both from this cause and fi-om the dis- 

 position of the species to drive away the ordinary 

 Pheasants, it does not get intermixed with them. 



Before leaving the long-tailed Pheasants, it is well to 

 mention a few other species which are sometimes heard 

 of, but seldom obtainable. The White- winged Pheasant 

 (Phasianus principalis) comes from the western frontier 

 of Afghanistan ; it is much like the old coMticiis, but 

 with white wings. It frequents swampy reed-beds, and 

 swims and wades like a Moorhen. Thus it would be a 

 \-ery good bird for localities too damp for ordinary 

 poultry or game. It has been once exnibited in the 

 London Zoological Gardens. Another fine species, the 

 Mongolian Pheasant (Phasianus inongolicus), is now 

 exhibited there. The cock is very like the colchtcus, 

 but has a narrow white collar and pearl eyes, and is a 

 larger bird. 



The Cheer Pheasant (Catreus waltichii) is a Himalayan 

 species of dull plumage, the cock being little brighter 

 than the hen. i'he tail is like that of the common 

 Pheasant, but both cock and hen bear a projecting crest 

 like some Kaleeges. 



The Koklass (Pticrasia) is also Himalayan, and has a 

 tail of pointed shape, but rather short. 'The cock has a 

 dark green head with three crests, two long ones at the 

 sides and a shorter one in the middle. His body 

 plumage is chocolate, silver-grey, and black, the colours 

 varying so much in extent that it is doubtful how many 

 species there are ; probably there is only one, which is 

 now breaking up into different varieties which have not 

 yet become fixed. The hen is mottled brown, and may 

 be distinguished from all other hen Pheasants of similar 

 style by having all her feathers pointed instead of 

 rounded, as in most birds, the same peculiarity occurring 

 in the cock. 



It should be recollected that only long and sharp tailed 

 Pheasants are of use for sporting purposes, except the 

 Monaul, which splendid bird really deserves, as I said 



