346 The Eared Pheasant. 



head is very striking in its general appearance ; the vaulted 

 beak ia of a pale fleshy white, contrasting strongly with the 

 red skin of the face, which again is thrown into prominence 

 by the white feathers that constitute the so-called ears of the 

 bird. 



Consul Swinhoe wrote : " This bird is found in the hills 

 north of Pekin, in Manchuria, and brought in winter to Pekin 

 in large numbers, both aUve and dead. It is called by the 

 natives the Ho-ke. The feathers of this bird were formerly 

 worn by Tartar warriors. I have not seen the species in its 

 wild state." 



Pere David informs us that these birds frequent the woods 

 of high mountains, and that they subsist much more upon 

 green vegetables, leaves of trees, and succulent roots than 

 upon grain. In their habits they are more gregarious than the 

 common pheasants, assembling together in flocks of consider- 

 able size. In domestication they become exceedijjgly tame, 

 feeding readily from the hand. When at large they appear 

 remarkably hardy ; they breed when only one year old, and 

 acquire their adult plumage at the first autumnal moult. 



They possess the very rare instinct of domestication. I 

 have seen specimens at Mr. Stone's residence in the Welsh 

 hills as familiar as barn-door fowls. In the closely-confined 

 pens in our Zoological Gardens their increase has not been 

 very rapid, but they have proved themselves as hardy and prolific 

 as common turkeys would have been if placed under similar 

 disadvantageous conditions. Mr. Bartlett writes : " Of the 

 Crofisoptilon we have reared nine fine birds the second hatch, 

 having lost by the gapes the first brood of seven." 



By placing a young brood in a large walled-in garden, 

 where they could obtain abundance of fresh vegetables and 

 insect food, they should offer no more difiiculty in rearing 

 than barn-door fowls ; all they would require would be custard 

 and lettuce in addition to ants' eggs, if obtainable ; but fed 

 on dry hard corn, and kept in small aviaries with brick floors, 

 success is not to be expected. 



