PHEASANT. 199 



passage from China, in 1781; and from the tail feather of which, 

 drawn by the accurate pencil of General Davies, we were first made 

 acquainted with the subject. 



In looking over some Chinese drawings of birds, in the possession 

 of Mr. Forster, of Fitzroy Square, this gentleman pointed out to 

 me one of a Pheasant, with a barred tail, somewhat similar to that 

 we are already in possession of: in this the bill and legs are pale 

 yellow ; round the eye bare and red ; head and neck pale ash-colour, 

 inclining to white at the back of the neck, where it is crossed by two 

 dusky bands; general colour of the plumage otherwise pale brown, 

 with a rufous tinge, each feather marked at the end with a spot of 

 black, with a white pupil ; the greater quills dusky blue, barred 

 with dusky ; at the end a black spot; the tail long, shaped as in our 

 Pheasant ; the two middle feathers crossed with many oblique, dusky 

 bars, and some dusky black spots ; all the others darker, with 14 or 

 15 oblique dusky brown bars. There are few who do not know, how 

 little credit can be given to Chinese paintings in general, but we 

 observed among those alluded to, the representation of other birds 

 well known, which were faithfully done, and will apologize for our 

 troubling the reader with this description. 



12. -PENCILLED PHEASANT. 



Phasianus nycthemerus, Ind. Orn. ii. 631. Lin. i. 272. Gm. Lin. i. 743. Scop.i. 167. 



Borowsk. ii. 167. Gerin. iii. t. 261. 262. Tern. Man. Ed. ii. Anal. p. xc; 

 Phasianus albus Sinensis, Bris. i. 276. Id. 8vo. i. 77. Klein, 114. 4. 

 Le Faisan noir et blauc de la Chine, Buf. ii. 359. PI. enl. 123. 124. 

 Silber Fassan, Gunth Nest. u. Ey. t. 49. Naturf. xvi. 122. 

 Black aud white China Pheasant, Edw. pi. 66. All/in, iii. pi. 37. 

 Pencilled Pheasant, Gen. Syn. iv. 719. 



THIS is stouter than the Common Species; length two feet and 

 a half. Bill and irides yellow ; sides of the head covered with a 

 carunculated, crimson, bare skin, which in some old birds rises 



