6o NATURAL HISTORY OF THE PHEASANT 



they approach the end ; in this bird they altogether 

 disappear there. Some of the feathers on the wing- 

 coverts have the shaft cream-coloured, with the centre 

 black, ending in a point towards the tip as in the 

 pheasant ; but the cream-coloured band surrounding 

 it in that bird is wanting, and the extremity of the 

 feather is mottled. The lower part of the back and 

 rump has a blending in about equal quantity of black 

 and mottled plumage, each feather terminating in 

 claret colour. The only white in the plumage is a 

 spot on the shoulders, similar to that exhibited by 

 both sexes of the black grouse, and some markings of 

 that colour on the vent feathers. Under tail coverts 

 black, mottled, with rich reddish-brown at their tips. 

 . . . Mr. Sabine and Mr. Eyton describe their hybrid 

 specimens as bred between the cock pheasant and 

 grey hen. But that the produce is as likely to occur 

 from the opposite sexes of those species is indicated by 

 the following circumstance. A black-cock, a few years 

 ago in the possession of ray friend, William Sinclaire, 

 Esq., of Belfast, having been kept along with a cock 

 and two hen pheasants, beat and drove away the cock 

 whenever he approached the hens in spring, and, as 

 a brood of pheasants was wanted, had to be removed 

 to another inclosure. The black-cock at the same 

 time displayed towards these hen pheasants all the 



