i9 Pheasants. 



of these pheasants in separate pens or aviaries; they 

 require, as a rule, different treatment and management, 

 and possess peculiarities of disposition and habit which 

 may render them more amenable to handling in confine- 

 ment than ordinary birds ; or the reverse may be the case. 

 To mention a few points in this respect : thus the Golden 

 Pheasant is very prone to persecute his hen if the place 

 of confinement be small, and the hen bird will equally 

 try to destroy her eggs at times under similar conditions. 

 The same remark applies to the hen Silver Pheasant, 

 although these birds tend to become tamer than most others 

 of their kind. The Amherst Pheasant much resembles the 

 Golden in its habits, and so on. It is, of course, impos- 

 sible to go into detail of all these little but important 

 matters in connection with all the individual species re- 

 ferred to, and it must suffice to say that in the main they are 

 not very much more difficult to deal with than ordinary 

 penned birds provided the special accommodation which 

 they require is accorded them. 



In concluding this chapter, I may repeat that there is 

 ample room for improving the general run of pheasants, 

 and plenty of opportunity for adding to the small number 

 of species which at present constitute the main stock of 

 British preserves. At the same time, anything of the kind 

 requires undertaking with a full knowledge of the end in 

 view and the means available to accomplish it. 



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