874 Birds. 



which the parent originally descended. Though it frequently hap- 

 pens, that the common brown hen pheasant, when in its natural state, 

 and where there are variegated or pied cock pheasants about, will 

 produce a brood of young ones, some of which are pied and others of 

 the usual colour. But this may perhaps be attributed to its consort- 

 ing with some of the variegated, as well as with some of the common 

 coloured cock birds. It is now several years since I perceived, 

 amongst a considerable number, amounting to thirty or forty brace, of 

 the common coloured pheasants, preserved and fed in a gorse-cover and 

 plantation at the back of the house, one white pheasant, doubtless 

 bred from the common pheasants, as at that time there were no varie- 

 gated ones anywhere in the neighbourhood. It was a pure milk-white 

 cock bird, and might be seen every evening almost, leisurely walking 

 from a small rough pit, which it chiefly frequented, across a meadow 

 to some trees in an adjoining pit — a favourite roosting-place of num- 

 bers of other pheasants also. In the dusk of the evening, the long 

 tail and white colour of the bird gave it at first sight the exact ap- 

 pearance of a white cat prowling along, and for which I have frequent- 

 ly mistaken it. I desired this pheasant might not be destroyed or 

 disturbed, and it continued to feed and roost with the other pheasants 

 throughout the winter months — an object then of much curiosity to 

 those who saw it for the first time. In the spring of the following 

 year it remained more about its own pit, with a brown hen constantly 

 associated with it, and others occasionally there also. In the breed- 

 ing season an entire brood or nide of six pied young ones was the 

 result. I do not now recollect the first year, what number of other 

 variegated young birds were seen about, though certainly there were 

 several of those seen amongst the other broods of coloured pheasants, 

 the offspring probably of the same white cock bird as well. The se- 

 cond season, this white cock pheasant had become a most splendid 

 specimen, continuing constantly about its former haunt. The six 

 young pied birds grew up and intermixed, as did the other variegated 

 young ones, with the common pheasants, without any shyness or hos- 

 tility being shown towards them. Several of these young pied birds 

 turned out to be hens, with no very attractive plumage, though some 

 of them were curious from possessing so large a portion of white fea- 

 thers, as well as white feet. The third season there were several 

 broods, some of which contained both variegated and the common- 

 coloured young ones, other broods consisting of only white and varie- 

 gated young ones. These varieties have continued to increase, season 

 after season, until there may now be seen from fifteen to twenty brace 



