190 The Mongolian Pheasant. 



" I wish to point out that the bird called in America, France, 

 Holland, and many other countries Mongolian pheasant is 

 not that bird, but the ring-necked pheasant, or Chinese 

 pheasant (P. torquatus), and, so far as I have been able to 

 ascertain, the true P. mongolicus had never been introduced 

 alive before Mr. Carl Hagenbeck got them for me, and certainly 

 have not been introduced into America." 



It is difficult to imagine how this mistake could have arisen ; 

 the appearance of the two breeds is totally distinct. But 

 there is no doubt that the Hon. Walter Eothschild is perfectly 

 correct, for in an elaborate paper on pheasants in Country 

 Life in America for September, 1903, engravings of the different 

 species are given, including a large one of the Chinese Eing- 

 neck, P. torquatus, and underneath this elaborate drawing is 

 put the following description : — 



" The so-called ' Mongolian ' pheasant, properly the China 

 Eing-neck, or torquatus. The true Mongolian has never 

 reached this country alive. Eighteen torquatus pheasants 

 were turned loose in Oregon in 1884, and there are probably 

 more now in Oregon than in China. Fifty thousand were 

 killed in one day last year in Oregon. This is the best species 

 for naturalising in American game preserves." 



There is no doubt whatever of the correctness of the state- 

 ment by the Hon. Walter Eothschild, and the error committed 

 by the American authorities is greatly to be regretted, as it 

 cannot fail to lead to confusion. 



With regard to the true Mongolian, the Hon. Walter 

 Eothschild, writing in the Field of June 20, 1903, says : — 



" I have, however, had a number of the true Mongolian 

 pheasant (P. mongolicus) ahve at Tring for two or three 

 years, and have had a number of young, both pure and 

 half-bred, hatched and reared in our coverts, and those 

 which were shot proved much superior in flavour and size 

 to ordinary pheasants. Cock birds hatched in June were as 

 full plumaged and weighed as much as two-year-old common 

 pheasants." 



