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Fancy Pheasants 



and are much alike, resembling that of the 

 common Pheasant in general form and style. 

 But they are easily distinguished from all 

 other hen Pheasants by their brown plumage 

 boldly barred across with black ; and from 

 each other by characters which I shall meniion 

 later on, although at first sight they might 

 easily be confounded. 



Both species come from China, and are 

 frequently seen in captivity ; they are easy to 

 rear, but very bad tempered, the cocks not 

 only fighting savagely with each other, but 

 even being apt to kill the hens on occasion. 

 Thejr will interbreed in confinement, and the 

 hybrids are fertile either with each other or 

 with the parent stocks, although the two 

 species are most undoubtedly distinct. 



The Gold Pheasant. 

 (Chrysolopkus pictus.) 



This species has — in the male — a lull silky 

 crest covering the whole head, a square- 

 tipped ruff, and the plumage mostly possessing 

 a neouliar glossy lustre, which wonderfully 

 enfiances its rich colours, and renders its owner 

 about the most brilliant bird in existence- The 

 crest is golden-yellow, and the ruft' rich orange barred 

 with glossy purple ; the cheeks and throat buff ; the 

 upper part of the back is dark metallic green, and the 

 saddle golden-yellow fringed with red at the sides. The 

 shoulders, breast, and flanks are bright red, and the 

 innermost quills of the wing dark glossy blue. The 

 flights are dark brown edged externally with buff, and 

 the tail is black mottled with buff, the centre tail 

 feathers being spotted, and the rest barred obliquely. 

 Along the base or the tail extend some " side hangers " of 

 scarlet. 



The bill and legs are yellow, and the eyes pale yellow 

 also. The hen also has yellow legs and a slight wash of 

 gold on the head ; moreover, the brown of her plumage 

 has a yellowish cast. She has dark brown eyes, and by 

 this can be distinguished from a young cock not yet in 

 colour, for the cooks do not attain to their full 

 plumage till the second autumn, but the light-coloured 

 eye appears early and distinguishes them long before 

 this. 



This splendid Pheasant is one of the oldest fancy 





MANCIJUEIAN JiAEED PHEASANT. 



Anderson's Silver Pheasant. 



birds, having been exported from China more than a 

 century ago, both to India and to Europe ; it is, of 

 course, well established with us now, and freely bred in 

 captivity. It can be turned out and will thrive in a 

 state of freedom, having run wild in the United States. 

 But, although smaller, it is more than a match for the 

 common Pheasants, owing no doubt to its greater light- 

 ness and activity of movement, and hence is not a 

 desirable inhabitant of the woods where these are 



E reserved. It is well suited for town fanciers, not 

 eing noisy ; and if a number of cocks are brought 

 up together and kept away from hens, they may 

 be safely associated, and form a most gorgeous 

 ornament on a grass run. At the London Zoo some 

 years ago they had half-a-dozen so confined, and very 

 handsome they looked. 



Cock Gold Pheasants are of some value as supplying 

 feathers which are much esteemed for making " flies " 

 for salmon-fishing, and I have even heard of the poor 

 birds being plucked for this purpose. I should imagine, 

 however, that the cruel practice would defeat its object 

 in time, as too frequent plucking would cei-tainly im- 

 pair the quality of the feathers, both in texture and 

 colour. If the birds are well looked after, their 

 naturally moulted feathers ought to be in good condi- 

 tion, and as the most brilliant ones tend to come away 

 almost all at once, they could be readily collected by 

 penning up the moulting birds for' a few days. Gold 

 Pheasants stand confinement better than any other 

 species I know. I have seen a cock in a dealer's posses- 

 sion in fine plumage, although confined in a hutch not 

 larger than a show-pen for Turkeys. And, speaking 

 generally, one could keep these birds almost anywhere 

 where tnere is room for Bantams. Unfortunately, 

 although in confinement they do not seem particularly 

 nervous, they cannot be trusted with full liberty like 

 Silver Pheasants, as they cannot be relied upon to stay. 

 They are also not so long-lived as are those birds. 



Thefe exists a curious variety of the Golden Pheasant 

 which has been described as a distinct species — the Black- 

 throated Golden Pheasant (Chrysolophus ohscurus). It 

 is, however, only known in captivity, and is pTobably 

 merely a " sport " or accidental variation. In this breed 

 the male's cheeks and throat are nearly black, and the 

 shoulders are deep blackish red ; while the centre tail 

 feathers are barred like the rest, instead of being 

 spotted. The hens are darker on the head and neck 

 than the common birds, and the chicks are likewise 

 darker. In the peculiarities of the male there is visible 

 an approach to the Amherst Pheasant, next to be 

 described, and they may conceivably indicate the 



