52 NATURAL HISTORY OP THE PHEASANT 



species to associate with, it usually pairs, and hybrids 

 are the result.' ' Mr. Tegetmeier is, no doubt, per- 

 fectly correct in his explanation ; but there is reason 

 to think that the majority of curious hybrid pheasants 

 killed are birds which were hand-reared. 



Dealers cross their penned pheasants both inten- 

 tionally and accidentally — just as it suits their own 

 convenience, in fact. Sometimes different species 

 may pair in their pens without the knowledge of the 

 pheasant farmers. The eggs of the penned pheasants 

 are sent out in hundreds and thousands to keepers all 

 over England, and, naturally enough, a small per- 

 centage of eggs produce hybrid young, which are 

 reared along with the usual mongrel pheasants, and 

 take to ranging the woods like the rest of the young 

 birds as they become strong and independent. The 

 fact remains, however, that the foreign pheasants 

 which have been turned down in England do volun- 

 tarily interbreed with the Common Pheasant in a state 

 of liberty. M. Suchetet, who has paid much atten- 

 tion to hybrids, states that he cannot find any evi- 

 dence that Reeves's Pheasant crosses with the Common 

 Pheasant in any of the great preserves which are in- 

 habited by both species on the Continent. The 

 Prince of Wagram, for instance, has possessed a strain 

 ' Field, December i6, 1893. 



