19() Reeves's Pheasant. 



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 upon 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. Beeves." 



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 E. Eeeves, brought a female over in 1838, and the 

 pair were in the Zoological Gardens at the same time ; but the 

 male being old, they did not breed. Some cross-bred birds 

 were reared from the hen, which died in 1840. 



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 

 feathers, which were brought from China, and I found amongst 

 them specimens of every length from 18in. to 7ft." The species 

 was named by Latham P. superhus. Temminck described it 

 under the title of Faisan superbe in his " Pigeons et Gallinaces," 

 published in 1813. At this date it was known to him only 

 by the two central tail feathers, and the drawings of native 

 Chinese artists. Subsequently, however, he obtained a skin 



