!16 Soemmerrin^'s Pheasant. 



» 



their long confinement on the voyage, their owner is desirous 

 of reaping a reward by obtaining an abundant supply of 

 eggs as the birds approach the breeding season, he finds, alas ! 

 that some disturbance has occurred, the place is filled with 

 feathers, and the female bird, from which he expected so much, 

 is found dead or dying, her head scalped, her eyes picked out, 

 or some other serious injury inflicted." 



The habits of this magnificent bird are thus described by 

 Cassin in Commodore Perry's " Expedition to the China Seas 

 and Japan, 1852-54" : 



" This is undoubtedly the most beautiful of all the true 

 pheasants, and will compare in richness and brilliancy of 

 colour with almost any other species of bird. In the adult 

 male the neck and back are of a deep golden red, with a metallic 

 lustre of great beauty, but the female is exceedingly plain and 

 unpretending. 



" Like the P. versicolor, the present is only known as a 

 bird of Japan ; and but a few years have elapsed since it was 

 first introduced to the attention of naturahsts by the celebrated 

 Professor Temminck, well known as the most distinguished of 

 European ornithologists. It appears to inhabit the same 

 districts of country as the vemcoLor, and to subsist on much 

 the same description of food ; but we regret to say that the 

 gentlemen of the expedition had no opportunity for observing 

 this species to such an extent as to enable us to make any 

 important contribution to its history. 



" Nothing having previously been pubhshed in relation to 

 this beautiful pheasant, we have exerted ourselves to obtain 

 all available information, and have great pleasure in again 

 acknowledging our obligations to Mr. Heine, the accomplished 

 artist of the expedition, for the following note : 



" ' On one of my excursions I came very suddenly upon 

 another species of pheasant, of very beautiful colours, and 

 with a very long tail. Being in the midst of briars, and in an 

 inconvenient position, I missed him, or at least did not injure 

 him further than to shoot off his two long tail feathers. 



