178 PHEASANTS FOB COVERTS AND AVIARIES. 



the beautiful Phasianus veneratus of l^emminck, tlie P. reevesii 

 of Gray, now commonly known by the name of the Reeves's 

 Pheasant, was seen. It is the Ghee-kai of the Chinese . 



" The longest tail feathers of the bird are 6ffc. in length, 

 and are placed in the caps of the players when acting 

 military characters. This I observed at Canton, where some 

 of the beautiful tail feathers (rather in a dirty condition, like 

 the actors themselves, who, in their tawdry dresses, reminded 

 me of the chimney-sweepers in London on a May-day) were 

 placed erect on each side of their caps as a decoration. 



"The Chinese do not venerate this bird, as was first 

 supposed, and which may have caused Temminck to bestow 

 on it the name of veneratus ; but it is superstitiously believed 

 that the blood of the bird possesses poisonous properties, and 

 that the Mandarins, when in expectation of losing their rank 

 and being suddenly put to death by order of the Emperor, 

 preserve some of it on a handkerchief in a dried state, on 

 sucking which they fall down and instantly expire. 



"Mr. Beale's first male specimen, obtained in 1808, was 

 kept in a healthy state for thirteen years ; after its death he 

 endeavoured to procure others, but did not succeed until 1831, 

 when four specimens were brought from the interior of China, 

 and purchased by him for 130 dollars ; these were, I believe, 

 taken to England subsequently by Mr. Reeves." 



The first living bird of this species was imported into 

 Europe about the year 1831 by Mr. Reeves (of the firm of 

 Dent and Co.). This specimen was a male. The son of this 

 gentleman, Mr. John R. Reeves, brought a female over 

 in 1888, and the pair were in the Zoological Gardens at 

 same time ; but the male being old, they did not breed. 

 Some cross-bred birds were reared from the hen, who died in 

 1840, these are now in the British Museum. 



Dr. Latham, in his " General History of Birds," gave a 

 description of this species from a drawing and tail feathers in 

 the possession of Sir J. Anstruther. He states : — " I had an 

 opportunity of seeing a bundle of thirty or forty of these tail 



