CHAPTER XVIII 



The Eared Pheasant 



This is a hardy variety of aviary Pheasant and forms a 

 remarkable exception to the rule with regard to the plumage 

 of the male and female, the cock and hen birds of this 

 species being identically alike in plumage, the only distinction 

 of importance being the presence of spurs in the former. 

 The name " Eared " Pheasant has been derived from the 

 tuft of white feathers which project upwards and slightly 

 backwards above the head, forming a tuft on either side. 



The Eared Pheasants belong to a genus known as the 

 " Crossoptilon," of which there are five species, though 

 European Naturalists are only familiar with two of these 

 species, namely, the Manchurian Eared Pheasant {Crossoptilon 

 Mantchuricum), and the White Tibet Species (Crossoptilon 

 Tibetanum). 



The Manchurian Eared Pheasant inhabits the mountains 

 to the North of Pekin, and the white species is found in 

 Tibet. 



In many of their habits the Eared Pheasants resemble 

 those of the domestic fowl, being quite as hardy, prolific, 

 and sociable as the birds last alluded to. The beak is white 

 and the skin of the face bright red. The tail coverts are 

 white, abundant, and form, as it were, part of the tail, in this 

 respect differing from other species of Pheasant. The legs 

 and feet are reddish, thick in the shanks, and the toes very 

 strong. The feathers clothing the body are brown, whilst 



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