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  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  CAPTIVITY 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  living 
  Green 
  Pheasants 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  brought 
  from 
  Japan 
  to 
  

   Antwerp 
  in 
  1840. 
  The 
  Earl 
  of 
  Derby 
  purchased 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  these, 
  the 
  female 
  of 
  which 
  

   soon 
  died. 
  The 
  male 
  was 
  crossed 
  with 
  several 
  hens 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  pheasant, 
  and 
  the 
  

   successive 
  generations 
  were 
  bred 
  back 
  until 
  almost 
  all 
  trace 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  was 
  lost, 
  and 
  

   the 
  birds 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  full-blooded 
  Japanese. 
  These 
  were 
  distributed, 
  some 
  being 
  

   liberated 
  in 
  Italy 
  and 
  others 
  in 
  Norwich. 
  Since 
  that 
  time 
  many 
  individuals 
  of 
  this 
  

   species 
  have 
  been 
  imported. 
  The 
  full-blooded 
  birds 
  do 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  pronounced 
  

   success 
  in 
  England. 
  They 
  do 
  not 
  breed 
  so 
  prolifically 
  and 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  hardy 
  as 
  the 
  

   common 
  pheasant, 
  this 
  being 
  especially 
  true 
  of 
  birds 
  in 
  Scotland 
  and 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  

   England. 
  Hybridizing, 
  however, 
  seems 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  size 
  and 
  hardiness 
  of 
  the 
  birds, 
  

   and 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  first 
  generations 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  weighed 
  5 
  lb. 
  4 
  oz. 
  They 
  were 
  

   introduced 
  into 
  Oako, 
  Hawaii, 
  and 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  thriving. 
  

  

  Japanese 
  pheasants 
  breed 
  fairly 
  freely 
  and 
  are 
  not 
  difficult 
  to 
  rear. 
  They 
  cross 
  

   readily 
  with 
  any 
  Phasianns, 
  and 
  the 
  offspring 
  are 
  fertile 
  inter 
  se. 
  The 
  Japanese 
  told 
  

   me 
  repeatedly 
  that 
  the 
  wild 
  birds 
  occasionally 
  crossed 
  with 
  Yamadori, 
  the 
  Copper 
  

   Pheasant, 
  and 
  still 
  more 
  rarely 
  with 
  domestic 
  fowls, 
  but 
  I 
  could 
  obtain 
  no 
  definite 
  

   proof 
  of 
  this. 
  Hybrids 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  obtained 
  with 
  lineated 
  pheasants. 
  They 
  are 
  not 
  

   very 
  long-lived 
  birds, 
  however, 
  and 
  of 
  twenty-seven 
  individuals 
  in 
  the 
  London 
  Zoo 
  of 
  

   which 
  records 
  have 
  been 
  kept, 
  the 
  average 
  length 
  of 
  life 
  was 
  twenty 
  months, 
  one 
  bird 
  

   living 
  over 
  seven 
  years. 
  

  

  DETAILED 
  DESCRIPTION 
  

  

  Adult 
  Male. 
  — 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  aberrant 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  true 
  Pkasianus 
  and, 
  aside 
  from 
  

   its 
  being 
  an 
  insular 
  form, 
  shows 
  no 
  direct 
  gradation 
  with 
  the 
  continental 
  species. 
  With 
  

   reason, 
  it 
  is 
  often 
  considered 
  the 
  most 
  beautiful 
  of 
  its 
  genus, 
  while 
  as 
  to 
  size 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  

   smallest. 
  

  

  Forehead, 
  chin 
  and 
  throat, 
  grass 
  green 
  ; 
  centre 
  of 
  crown 
  and 
  nape, 
  bronze 
  green 
  ; 
  

   this 
  is 
  succeeded 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  by 
  an 
  evanescent, 
  whitish 
  zone, 
  then 
  by 
  decided 
  grass 
  

   green 
  and 
  purplish 
  blue, 
  the 
  latter 
  forming 
  the 
  border 
  of 
  the 
  bare 
  facial 
  area; 
  this 
  

   purplish-blue 
  colour 
  characterizes 
  an 
  elongated, 
  sub-ocular 
  patch, 
  the 
  entire 
  under 
  and 
  

   side 
  neck 
  and 
  a 
  narrow 
  band 
  across 
  the 
  upper 
  neck 
  ; 
  mantle 
  and 
  upper 
  back, 
  dark 
  green, 
  

   tinged 
  with 
  purple 
  in 
  all 
  but 
  fully 
  adult 
  birds 
  ; 
  lower 
  mantle 
  with 
  two 
  isolated 
  buff 
  lines 
  

   near 
  the 
  tip 
  ; 
  the 
  hidden 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  feather 
  show 
  several 
  broken 
  concentric 
  buffy 
  lines, 
  

   the 
  outermost 
  marking 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  metallic-green 
  visible 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  vane 
  from 
  

   all 
  the 
  rest, 
  which 
  is 
  dead 
  black 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  back 
  the 
  green 
  fringe 
  grows 
  longer 
  and 
  

   less 
  cohesive 
  ; 
  the 
  rump 
  and 
  upper 
  tail-coverts 
  show 
  the 
  usual 
  Pkasianus 
  disconnected 
  

   condition 
  of 
  this 
  greatly 
  elongated 
  fringe, 
  which 
  from 
  intense 
  metallic 
  green 
  has 
  changed 
  

   to 
  greenish 
  slate 
  ; 
  unlike 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  lateral, 
  rust- 
  

   coloured 
  patches, 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  rump 
  inclining 
  to 
  clear 
  bluish 
  slate 
  or 
  glaucous 
  grey. 
  

  

  Wing-coverts, 
  bluish 
  slate 
  ; 
  the 
  scapulars 
  form 
  a 
  distinct 
  patch 
  of 
  colour 
  ; 
  the 
  

   pattern 
  is 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  mantle, 
  but 
  the 
  visible 
  green 
  is 
  replaced 
  by 
  a 
  bright 
  

   chestnut, 
  slightly 
  margined 
  with 
  green 
  ; 
  while 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  inner 
  concentric 
  lining 
  is 
  

   visible 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  tertiaries 
  this 
  chestnut 
  coloration 
  becomes 
  split 
  at 
  the 
  tip 
  and 
  reduced 
  

   by 
  encroaching 
  greenish 
  buff, 
  and 
  the 
  concentric 
  lines 
  become 
  mere 
  mottlings 
  ; 
  the 
  buff 
  

  

  