228 The Golden Pheasant. 



" If the cock birds are placed in a portion of the aviary 

 apart from hens, any number may be kept together. I have 

 had as many as twelve males in full plumage together, and 

 when during the summer (and indeed at all times) these beau- 

 tiful birds were going through the very curious and fanciful 

 attitudes and manoeuvres peculiar to them, it was one of the 

 most brilliant sights to be observed in nature. The flashing 

 of their various golden, crimson, blue, and purple plumes 

 in different Ughts was absolutely dazzling to the eye, and 

 at these times they contrive to display all the most beautiful 

 parts of their plumage to the utmost advantage ; the golden 

 crest is raised, the splendid orange and purple tipj)ed collar 

 is spread out to its full extent, while the scarlet tail coverts 

 are shown in all their beauty. During the whole time the 

 birds are leaping and dancing round each other, and uttering 

 occasionally their peculiar shrill cry." 



Mr. Thompson states that he has never known the Golden 

 Pheasant to Hve longer than ten or eleven years, and that 

 those which came under his knowledge " died almost instanta- 

 neously, and when in the highest possible condition as to 

 flesh and plumage," death being apparently induced by high 

 condition and over-fatness. 



Respecting their management in aviaries still more confined 

 for space, my friend the late Mr. Ed. Hewitt kindly gave me 

 the following notes : 



" As I kept the Golden Pheasants many years with success, 

 a few hints may be acceptable to beginners. They may 

 with proper care be reared perfectly tame, but have always 

 a tendency to be alarmed at the sudden appearance of strange 

 dogs, cats, or even individuals, for which reason I think it 

 advisable they should be pinioned if allowed an out-of-door 

 run, lest they may be tempted to fly away or on to the sur- 

 rounding buildings ; for, unhke common poultry, they are 

 only tempted to return with great difficulty, as the moment 

 they get from their accustomed range they seem as wild and 

 uncontrollable as birds reared in a state of Nature. Pinioning 



