﻿CHEER 
  PHEASANT 
  63 
  

  

  to 
  have 
  been 
  brought 
  to 
  Europe 
  first 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  1857, 
  and 
  the 
  very 
  following 
  year 
  it 
  

   laid 
  eggs 
  and 
  reared 
  its 
  young 
  in 
  the 
  London 
  Zoological 
  Gardens. 
  In 
  1863 
  it 
  was 
  

   observed 
  that 
  this 
  bird 
  bred 
  much 
  less 
  freely 
  than 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Gennaeus, 
  and 
  failed 
  

   utterly 
  to 
  give 
  promise 
  of 
  reproducing 
  regularly 
  in 
  confinement, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  use 
  in 
  

   rearing 
  for 
  shooting 
  in 
  coverts 
  and 
  preserves. 
  In 
  1876, 
  when 
  a 
  large 
  consignment 
  of 
  

   pheasants 
  was 
  received 
  from 
  India, 
  this 
  species 
  far 
  outnumbered 
  the 
  others, 
  more 
  than 
  

   a 
  score 
  being 
  included, 
  and 
  since 
  then 
  it 
  is 
  seldom 
  that 
  the 
  species 
  cannot 
  be 
  obtained 
  

   from 
  dealers, 
  either 
  wild 
  birds 
  trapped 
  by 
  the 
  hill 
  tribes, 
  and 
  which 
  find 
  their 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  

   Calcutta 
  and 
  Bombay 
  markets 
  or, 
  more 
  rarely, 
  birds 
  reared 
  in 
  captivity, 
  chiefly 
  in 
  France 
  

   and 
  Germany. 
  

  

  Of 
  seventeen 
  individuals 
  of 
  which 
  records 
  have 
  been 
  kept 
  in 
  the 
  London 
  Zoological 
  

   Gardens, 
  the 
  average 
  duration 
  of 
  life 
  was 
  a 
  little 
  over 
  two 
  years 
  and 
  a 
  half, 
  while 
  one 
  

   hardy 
  individual 
  had 
  a 
  lease 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  captivity 
  of 
  six 
  years 
  and 
  seven 
  months. 
  

  

  DETAILED 
  DESCRIPTION 
  

  

  Adult 
  Male. 
  — 
  Forehead 
  dark 
  brown, 
  widely 
  margined 
  with 
  grey. 
  Crown 
  with 
  

   less 
  grey, 
  and 
  a 
  narrow 
  elongated 
  crest 
  springing 
  from 
  the 
  occiput, 
  wholly 
  dark 
  brown 
  

   with 
  paler 
  grey 
  tips 
  to 
  the 
  feathers. 
  Lower 
  border 
  of 
  bare 
  facial 
  area 
  dark 
  brown, 
  

   paling 
  slightly 
  on 
  the 
  ear-coverts. 
  Under 
  eyelid 
  covered 
  densely 
  with 
  white 
  feathers, 
  

   surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  border 
  of 
  black 
  ones. 
  

  

  Nape 
  slaty 
  blue 
  ; 
  hind 
  neck 
  greyish 
  white, 
  with 
  a 
  dark 
  cross-bar, 
  and 
  a 
  shaft-spot 
  

   on 
  the 
  concealed 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  feathers. 
  On 
  the 
  lower 
  neck 
  and 
  mantle 
  the 
  cross-bars 
  

   increase 
  in 
  number 
  to 
  three 
  or 
  four, 
  the 
  two 
  distal 
  ones 
  visible, 
  and 
  the 
  one 
  nearest 
  

   the 
  tip 
  acquiring 
  a 
  metallic-green 
  sheen. 
  The 
  terminal 
  fringe 
  is 
  white, 
  but 
  the 
  back- 
  

   ground 
  changes 
  to 
  a 
  pale 
  buff. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  type 
  pattern 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  body 
  plumage. 
  

   All 
  the 
  feathers 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  neck, 
  mantle, 
  scapulars, 
  inner 
  wing-coverts, 
  back 
  and 
  rump 
  

   show 
  the 
  metallic-green 
  subterminal 
  border. 
  On 
  the 
  wing-coverts, 
  however, 
  the 
  second 
  

   black 
  bar 
  becomes 
  changed 
  into 
  two 
  L-shaped 
  markings, 
  facing 
  the 
  shaft, 
  while 
  

   posteriorly 
  the 
  feather 
  becomes 
  mottled 
  with 
  buff, 
  grey 
  and 
  dark 
  brown, 
  the 
  only 
  

   distinct 
  black 
  lines 
  being 
  longitudinal. 
  

  

  The 
  inner 
  secondaries 
  have 
  a 
  background 
  of 
  mottled 
  grey 
  and 
  buff, 
  with 
  four 
  or 
  

   five 
  cross-bars 
  of 
  pale 
  buff, 
  each 
  bordered 
  with 
  black. 
  On 
  the 
  outer 
  secondaries 
  and 
  

   primaries 
  these 
  bars 
  become 
  solid 
  buff, 
  and 
  very 
  wide 
  and 
  pronounced 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  

   web, 
  coalescing 
  along 
  the 
  margin. 
  From 
  the 
  mid-back 
  at 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  mantle 
  back 
  

   to 
  the 
  rump, 
  the 
  feathers 
  are 
  bright 
  golden 
  rufous, 
  with 
  well-developed 
  subterminal 
  

   band 
  of 
  green, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  irregular 
  concealed 
  black 
  spots. 
  The 
  fringe 
  of 
  these 
  feathers 
  

   is 
  quite 
  disintegrated, 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  shining 
  golden 
  rufous. 
  The 
  upper 
  tail-coverts 
  resemble 
  

   the 
  central 
  rectrices. 
  These 
  latter 
  are 
  quite 
  long 
  and 
  tapering, 
  of 
  a 
  pale 
  buff 
  ground- 
  

   colour, 
  with 
  about 
  eight 
  wide 
  cross-bars 
  of 
  dark 
  brown, 
  quite 
  densely 
  mottled 
  or 
  

   vermiculated 
  with 
  grey. 
  On 
  the 
  lateral 
  feathers 
  the 
  background 
  becomes 
  a 
  warmer 
  buff, 
  

   and 
  the 
  grey 
  mottling 
  is 
  replaced 
  by 
  solid 
  dark 
  chestnut, 
  so 
  extremely 
  developed 
  on 
  the 
  

   inner 
  web 
  that 
  the 
  black 
  is 
  reduced 
  to 
  a 
  mere 
  anterior 
  and 
  posterior 
  border. 
  

  

  The 
  chin, 
  throat 
  and 
  chest 
  are 
  greyish 
  white, 
  indistinctly 
  and 
  concealedly 
  barred 
  on 
  

   the 
  upper 
  breast, 
  the 
  two 
  anterior 
  bars 
  coming 
  into 
  full 
  view, 
  however, 
  on 
  the 
  remaining 
  

  

  