-<>') Reeves's Pheasant. 



proportion of young birds were hatched out. My impression 

 is that these birds lay best — at all events in captivity — at 

 about their third or fourth year. My gamekeeper, who has had 

 charge of them, assures me that the young birds are very hardy 

 and easy to rear. I have in Northamptonshire (the county 

 in which I have tried these birds) no very large extent of 

 woodlands of my own, and cannot, therefore, tell you much 

 of their habits in a wild state, as they are very much given to 

 roaming to great distances, and a good many have fallen 

 victims in my neighbour's woods, besides the large percentage 

 that may be always allowed in a fox-hunting country. They 

 have certainly crossed, though not abundantly, with the 

 common pheasant. The male hybrid of the first cross is a 

 most splendid bird. Eeeves's pheasant is a very wild, shy 

 bird, very quick on the wing, somewhat given to go back if 

 possible, but quickly attains a good height in the air, giving 

 good rocketing shots. I found them most excellent for the 

 table — in my opinion far superior to the common pheasant. 

 I beheve, from what I have seen and heard of this species, 

 that for real success with them in this country a wide range 

 of hill coverts would be most eligible. I believe that Sir 

 Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks has had great success with Eeeves's 

 pheasants in Eoss-shire. I am informed that as many as sixty 

 Pteeves's have been shot in these coverts in a single season." 



Fifteen years after Lord Lilford favoured me with the above 

 communication he pubhshed in " The Birds of Northampton- 

 shire " a further report on this species, in which he maintains its 

 desirable character as a game bird for ranges of woodland in 

 mountainous districts. His account is as follows : 



"As regards another most beautiful species, known as 

 Eeeves's or the bar-tailed pheasant, though we have found it 

 hardy, easy to rear, and excellent for the table, our opinion 

 is that, as it possesses the roaming instinct in a still higher 

 degree than the ring-necked species, and is of a very wild and 

 wary nature, it is not a desirable bird from a sporting point of 

 view, except in very large ranges of woodland ; and from what 



