190 PHEASANTS FOB COVERTS AND AVIARIES. 



circles of light-brown on a dark ground, giving them a 

 mottled appearance ; the other feathers are barred diagonally 

 with dark brown on a lighter ground. On each side of the 

 base of the tail extend the long narrow upper tail coverts of a 

 bright orange crimson. The wings when closed show the 

 deep blue tertiaries covering the chesnut secondary quills. 

 The upper part of the throat is light-brown; the breast and 

 under parts orange-scarlet. Taken altogether, its appearance 

 is so remarkable that it looks more like one of the bizarre 

 creations of Chinese fancy than a real bird. The birds of 

 this genus differ from the true pheasants, in the fact that 

 the mature masculine plumage is not assumed until the 

 autumn of the second year ; the young cocks looking, 

 during the first twelve months of their lives, very much 

 like the hens, from which, however, they can be readily 

 distinguished by pulling one or two of the feathers of the 

 neck, which are reproduced of the ^distinctive masculine 

 character. 



The hens are very plain and unobstrusive, being barred 

 with alternate shades of light and dark brown. When 

 barren, they, like the other birds of the family, assume the 

 more gorgeous apparel of the male. 



Under the name of the Black-Throated or Java Golden 

 Pheasant [Thaumalea obscura) a variety of this bird has been 

 described as " a good species." It has never been obtained 

 in a wild state and is evidently merely a variety that, like the 

 black-winged peacock, may appear at any time amongst birds 

 of the ordinary type, and could never be regarded as a species 

 by those who have studied the subject of variation practically. 

 It difEers merely in the upper part of the throat being darker 

 in colour and obscurely spangled, in the pattern of the 

 mottling of the upper tail feathers, and in the general darker 

 hue of the females and young. 



One of the best and most complete accounts of the habits 

 and management of the Golden Pheasant in confinement is 

 that written by Mr. W. Sinclaire, of Belfast, and published 



