CHAPTEE XIII. 

 The Mongolian Pheasant 



{Phasianus mongolicus). 



THE magnificent pheasant known as the MongoHan comes 

 from the valley of the Syr-Daryr, as far east as Lake 

 Saisan, and the valley of the Black Irtish. So little 

 is known of it in this country that Mr. Ogilvie Grant, in his 

 valuable monograph on " Game Birds," published in 1897, says 

 that he could find no notes of importance on the habits of this 

 truly splendid pheasant, which is characterised by a broad 

 white ring round the neck — interrupted in the front by a narrow 

 patch of colour — and by having the whole of the wing coverts 

 white, the mantle, chest, and breast bronzy orange red, the 

 throat purpUsh bronzy red, and the breast and flank feathers 

 tipped with very dark green. The species is of large size, the 

 males measuring between 36in. and 37in. Coming as the 

 Mongolian does from the cold parts of China, the desert of 

 Gobi, and Mongolia, it is exceedingly hardy, and suffers more 

 from extreme heat than from severe cold. 



An unfortunate misunderstanding has arisen in the 

 United States respecting this bird. The State authorities in 

 Massachusetts and in Oregon have in the most extraordinary 

 manner confounded it with the Eing-neck, P. torquatus. 

 They have issued specific directions for its cultivation, stating 

 that it cannot be reared successfully in the same manner as 

 ordinary EngUsh pheasants, whereas it is apparently certain 

 that no true Mongolian pheasant has up to recent times ever 

 been introduced into the United States. Misled by the official 

 documents as to the rearing of this bird, I reproduced the 

 directions for its cultivation in the Field, which ehcited from 

 the Hon. Walter Eothschild the following communication :— 



