50 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE PHEASANT 



to the cross-birds between any of the varieties of the 

 restricted genus Phasianus is incorrect. He prefers 

 to style them ' mongrels between local varieties of the 

 same species.' But whether we call them hybrids or 

 mongrels does not matter much. The fact that they 

 exist is what interests us. To tell the truth, birds of 

 the pheasant family form the most curious nuptial 

 ties. These are generally due to the accidental or 

 designed meeting of birds of opposite sexes in pens 

 or aviaries, and are therefore due to artificial condi- 

 tions ; but they are very surprising for all that. 



Something like a score of different hybrid phea- 

 sants have already been procured in this country. 

 For example, the Cheer Pheasant of the Himalayas 

 has hybridised with Temminck's Tragopan ; the 

 Common Pheasant has produced hybrid young by 

 pairing with the Cheer Pheasant, with the Black- 

 backed Kaleege, the Silver Pheasant, the Gold Phea- 

 sant, and Reeves's Pheasant, as well as with its near 

 allies, the Versicolor and Ring-necked Pheasants. 

 The Ring-necked Pheasant, in like fashion, has been 

 found to produce hybrids with the Versicolor, while 

 the Versicolor Pheasant has crossed with the Purple 

 Kaleege ; the Lineated Kaleege crosses with the 

 Siamese Pheasant, as the Black-backed Kaleege hy- 

 bridises with the Rufous-tailed Pheasant, just as the 



