Amherst Pheasant. 



2f5 



presence of a strain of the blood of that species ; but, 

 considering that the common Peafowl, which has not 

 been much crossed with the Javan bird, yet shows a 

 resemblance to this in the male of the black-winged 

 breed, this explanation is unlikely. 



The Amherst Pheasant. 



(Chrysolophus amherstke.) 



Had not the beautiful Kaleege described in the last 

 chapter already gained the name of the Silver Pheasant, 

 that title would undoubtedly have been jriven to the pre- 

 sent species ; for at first sight they seem to correspond 

 much as do the gold and silver \-arieties of so many 

 breeds of poultry. The observant fancier will, however, 

 notice several important points of difference between 

 the two species, quite apart from the more striking one 

 of colour. The Amherst Pheasant is a bigger bird than 

 the Golden, with a proportionately longer neck and 

 smaller head — differences observable in both sexes, 

 which likewise agree in having a bare patch of a livid 

 pale blue or green around the eye ; whereas the Gold 

 Pheasant's face is nearly completely feathered, and what 

 little skin is visible is yellow in the cock and reddish 

 in the hen. Moreover, the Amherst cock has a smaller 

 crest th§i.n his rival, this being confined to the back of 

 the heai ; his ruff is composed of rounded feathers ; bis 

 tail, with its side hangers, is much larger and longer, 

 and his plumage is closer in texture, and lacks the 

 glossy appearance so noticeable in that of the- other 

 species. In colour he is nearly as striking ; the head 

 (except the crest), the neck, shoulders, breast, and 

 upper back being dark metallic green laced with black, 



Eassing into metallic dark blue on the wings ; the crest 

 lood-red, the ruff white laced with black, the saddle 

 pale yellow fringed with red ; the underparts below 

 the breast white, slightly washed with buff on the 

 hinder part of the flanks ; the centre tail-feathers 

 white, barred and speckled with black ; and the side 

 tail-feathers barred black and buff, set off by the broad 

 scarlet-tipped side hangers ; the eye is white, and the 

 legs bluish-grey. 



The hen is more heavily barred with black than that 

 of the other species, and shows no tinge of yellow in her 

 brown plumage, but has the head shaded with dark 

 cinnamon. But her most obvious point of difference 

 from the Gold hen is her bare livid eye-patch, which, 

 with her bluish feet, should sei \e to distinguish her at 

 once. And, as many Amherst Pheasants have mere or 

 less Gold blood, these points should be looked out for in 

 buying stock. 



in the young male's change of plumage, and in general 

 disposition and habits, the Amherst Pheasant closely 

 agrees with the Gold ; but] it comes from a colder 

 climate, inhabiting the mountains of West China and 

 East Tibet. 



The first living specimens brought to Europe, early in 

 the last century, were the property of Lady Amherst, 

 whence the name always used for the bird. For many 

 years no more arrived,and when some did come there was 

 a difficulty in getting hens, and Amherst cocks were 

 therefore crossed with females of the Gold species, the 

 hybrid progeny being bred back to the Amherst until 

 the strain was pure again. Even now the species is 

 much scarcer and dearer than the Gold. 



The male hybrid of the first generation is a magnificent 

 bird, exceeding either pure species in beauty and size. 

 In structural points and colour he most resembles the 

 Gold, having a red breast, a brown-and-black tail, and 

 a full crest like that bird ; but on his neck he bears a 

 white ruff like the Amherst, and shows the dark green 

 of that species on the throat and shoulders. Tn having 

 the crest of a glowing orange-red, and a more or less 

 developed yellow band at the upperipart of the breast, 

 he resembles neither parent species. 



The three-quarter-bred Amherst hybrid nearly re- 

 sembles the pure bird of that species, but shows the 

 " bar sinister ' in the extension of the red crest to the 



forehead and in a strong buff' wasli on the under parts 

 and flanks. I have never seen a bird with three-fourths 

 of Gold blood, so I cannot give the characteristics of 

 such a one. It is well known, however, as I stated 

 above, that these hybrids will breed any way, even 

 between themselves ; but in spite of the great beauty 

 of the first cross, breeders have chiefly confined them- 

 selves to obtaining the pure Amherst by breeding back 

 to it. It may with very much reason be asked why 

 birds which can be bred together like this when in cap- 

 tivity do not get hopelessly mixed up in the wild 

 state, since their ranges are contiguous ; but the fact 

 appears to be that the Amherst keeps as a rule to its 

 own ground at a higher elevation, and drives off the 

 Golden species when this invades its territory. Thus 

 the chance of intercrossing is not so great as it 

 would be if the species were absolutely on an equality 

 in the matter of size and habitat. 



The Chinese state that when snares baited with 

 grain are laid for the Amherst Pheasants, the birds are 

 sufficiently intelligent to try to sweep the com away 

 with their long tails in order to eat it without risk. 

 This sounds very improbable, and I have seen the story 

 alluded to slightingly by a very high authority on game 

 birds. But native accounts of the habits of animals, 

 absurd as they often are and appear to be, nave a way 

 of sometimes turning out to be correct, so that I suspend 

 my judgment on the point, and should very much like 

 to know if breeders of this Pheasant have observed it 

 to be endowed with any peculiar amount of intelligence. 



Before leaving the subject of these fine Pheasants, it 

 is necessary to mention that both the Amherst and the 

 Gold, and also their hybrid, have been crossed with the 

 Common Pheasant. And the remarkable thing about 

 the results of these crosses is that they all resemble each 

 other so closely that they might be imagined to have 

 had the same parents. Ihere are male specimens of 

 each in the South Kensington Museum, and all have a 

 rich cinnamon colour, with pni-ple neck and buff tail. 

 Their size is large, and their form gi-aceful. This 

 similarity of the offspring of such very differently- 

 coloured species as the Amherst and Gold Pheasants, 

 when crossed with another, is paralleled by a fact too 

 familiar to Mule breeders, that yellow as well as green 

 Canaries, unless specially gifted with j)repotency, are 

 likely to throw dark Mules to Cioldfinch cocks. And 

 thus one might fairly argue, as the colour peculiarities 

 of the Amherst tend to be swamped in its hybrids, that 

 the Gold or something very like it was the original form 

 whence both species were long ago derived. 



CHAPTER VII, 



THE COMMON PHEASANT AND ITS 

 ALLIES. 



The birds which aje most famUiar to everybody under 

 the name of Pheasants as table delicacies and objects of 

 sport are a very distinct group ; but the species belong- 

 ing thereto seem to be as closely related as the varieties 

 of a well-marked breed of poultry such as the Ham- 

 burgh, and as certain to get mongreiised and inter- 

 mixed when they come in contact ; for they interbreed 

 very readily, and the hybrids are quite fertile every 

 way. The various species differ only in colour, and 

 sometimes slightly in size ; in all the males have a bare 

 extensible red skin round the eyes, a long tail of very 

 pointed form, and loose copious feathering on the saddle. 

 There are a pair of small tufts at the back of the head, 

 which are erected when the bird is courting ; and he 

 assumes the one-sided attitude when showing off, also 

 expanding the face-skin. 



In all the males the neck is purple, glossed with 

 green, and the tail usually olive, transversely barred 

 with black and fringed with maroon. The hens have 

 the face mostly feathered, possess no ear-tufts, and have 



