14 PHEASANT. 



At the beginning of the breeding season the cheeks of the Cock Pheasant assume a 

 brighter scarlet; he becomes more stately in his walk, carries his tail erect, and hanging 

 his wings down, puts on an appearance of greater consequence than at other seasons. 



The adult Cock Pheasant has the bill of a light horn-colour; darker at the base. 

 Irides, yellow hazel. The eyes are surrounded by a naked papillose skin, of a very bright 

 scarlet colour, minutely dotted over with black specks; under each eye is a small patch 

 of feathers of a dark spotted glossy purple. Crown of head, bronzed green, the feathers 

 somewhat elongated; on each side of occiput is a tuft of dark golden-green feathers, 

 erectible at pleasure; — very conspicuous in the pairing season. The rest of the head and 

 upper part of the neck, deep purple, brown, green, or blue, as seen in different lights; 

 lower part of neck and breast, reddish chestnut, each feather with a black margin ; lower 

 part of breast and sides the same, each feather largely tipped with black, reflecting 

 glossy purple. Feathers of upper part of back, orange red, tipped with black; feathers 

 of back and scapulars have the centre black, or spotted with black, outside which is a 

 yellowish band, and the outer margin red-orange. Lower part of back and tail coverts, 

 purplish red, tinged with green, purple, and other reflections — the feathers long and 

 pendant; quill feathers, dull greyish brown, varied with pale wood brown; wing 

 coverts, of two shades of red; centre of belly, thighs, vent, and under tail coverts, 

 brownish black. Tail feathers, very long, the two middle ones the longest, occasionally 

 measuring two feet; the outside ones, which are the shortest, are less than six inches 

 long; all are of a reddish brown, with transverse lines of black, about one inch apart. 

 Legs, toes, and claws, dusky; on each leg is a spur, which becomes sharp after the 

 first year. 



The female is less than the male; the whole plumage more sober; general colour light 

 brown, varied with darker brown and black; the upper part of the neck in some lights shows 

 iridescent reflections; space round the eye is feathered; breast and belly, dotted with 

 small black spots on a light ground. Tail, short, but barred similarly to that of the male. 



Young birds, till after their first moult, resemble the female in plumage. 



In weight the Pheasant will commonly attain to about two pounds and a half, but 

 Mr. Tarrell gives several instances where, under the combined influence of abundance of 

 food and perfect quiet in the preserves, they attained the enormous weight of four pounds 

 and a half. One brace, which together weighed over nine pounds, separately weighed 

 one four pounds and a half, and the other a little over that amount. 



The Cock Pheasant measures in length nearly three feet; the female measures only 

 two feet, owing to the comparative shortness of her tail, and its somewhat smaller size. 



