THE GAME BREEDER 11 



ing, was that New Jersey birds were fully feathered the new bird shows 



shipped abroad and reshipped to New markings of exquisite beauty. It also 



York as European pheasants. is a strong bird and may become an- 



Ouite naturally he felt an injustice other permanent variety. The Prince of 

 wal being done his little colony, the Wales is no mean aquatic bird. It 

 colonies of other pheasant breeders and takes to the marshlands, and will swim 

 the hundreds of pheasants putting in as easily as a duck. For this reason it 

 their time acquiring a spicy European is well adapted for New Jersey propa- 

 gameflavor in the wilds of his own state, gation and is being stocked in the low- 

 Now the injustice is squarely before the lands and marshy regions, 

 lawmakers of New York, and the ac- In the breeding of pheasants Reeves 

 tion to be taken by them will be watched has some exciting experiences. A pheas- 

 with interest. ant cock is one of the gamiest of game 



Contrary to general belief, the pheas- birds. He is well spurred, is quick, can 



ant is not one of the older English game rise and strike at a considerable height 



birds. While it has been known and fa- and prefers fighting to running. Hardly 



vored for table use for centuries, and a day passes but Reeves is made the ob- 



for other centuries worshiped as a ject of attack by one or more of them, 



sacred bird by the Chinese, it was not Contented so long as he remains outside 



until 1821 that it was introduced in the wired inclosure, his entrance is the 



England by a man named Reeves, un- signal for attack. A wicked dash at his 



related to the Haddonfield Reeves. The legs is instantly followed by one at his 



English pheasant, now known as the head, and it frequently happens that he 



Reeves pheasant, was brought by him ducks just in time to escape with the loss 



from China. A little later John R. of his hat. And all the while the pheas- 



Reeves. his son, returned from the Far ant keeps up a constant sputtering. If it 



East, bringing with him a consignment is not downright profanity it is a good 



of pheasant hens, and from this stock imitation of it. 



the common English pheasant sprang. . Unlike the game cock, the effect of 



PRODUCING NEW VARIETIES. domcstication fails to outbreed this dis- 



Strictly speaking, the bird is of Asi- position even after many generations 

 atic origin, although subsequent cross have lived and died within the wire con- 

 "breedings have produced a number of fines. Once a game pheasant, always a 

 European varieties. At the Reeves game pheasant, appears to be the rule, 

 pheasant farm here, the Ring Neck, In trying to tame them Reeves has found 

 Reeves, Lady Amherst, Prince of Wales that, while the pheasant sometimes will 

 and Golden varieties are being bred and appear to have lost his love of the wild, 

 cross bred by Reeves, who has demon- the result is more apparent than real, 

 strated the possibility of producing even Frequently he has been tempted to re- 

 a better-flavored and stronger bird than lease a few of the tamer birds from the 

 is represented by the older parent stock, inclosures. But the result always has 

 For instance, his experiments have been that once outside the netting, they 

 shown that the cross between the Prince grasp the opportunity and are ofif with a 

 of Wales and the Ring Neck insures a whirr and, once freed, can rarely be re- 

 faster, larger, gamier and better-flavored captured. 



bird, and many of them are being bred In the rearing of the newly-hatched 



by him. As this crossing reproduces its pheasant it has been found that is best 



kind, it is believed a new variety of attended to by bantam hens, and so the 



pheasant has been added to the list, and Reeves pheasant farm has a corps of 



one that will become a favorite with these diminutive little fowls on hand, 



sportsmen as well as with epicures. For some reason the pheasant hen has 



One of the most beautiful results so little conception of maternal duties and 



far obtained resulted from mating Lady less inclination to practice them. Possi- 



Amherst and Golden Pheasants. When blv she believes in the law of the sur- 



