﻿154 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  average 
  of 
  several 
  instances, 
  the 
  former 
  would 
  deposit 
  from 
  eighteen 
  to 
  twenty-five, 
  

   while 
  older 
  birds 
  will 
  lay 
  from 
  forty 
  to 
  fifty 
  in 
  a 
  season. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  due 
  

   to 
  a 
  greater 
  stimulation 
  due 
  to 
  captivity, 
  as 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  several 
  years' 
  habit 
  in 
  attempt- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  replace 
  the 
  eggs 
  which 
  are 
  continually 
  taken 
  away 
  to 
  be 
  reared 
  under 
  domestic 
  

   hens. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  successful 
  way 
  of 
  introducing 
  birds 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Reeves 
  Pheasant 
  to 
  a 
  

   wholly 
  new 
  environment, 
  but 
  where 
  the 
  ring-necked 
  bird 
  is 
  already 
  acclimatized, 
  is 
  to 
  

   slip 
  the 
  fertile 
  eggs 
  into 
  the 
  nests 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  species. 
  The 
  chicks 
  seem 
  to 
  do 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  the 
  birds' 
  own 
  progeny, 
  being 
  hardy, 
  and 
  vigorous, 
  and 
  a 
  good 
  proportion 
  will 
  survive 
  in 
  

   this 
  way. 
  Thus 
  all 
  danger 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  wandering 
  away 
  of 
  the 
  newly 
  liberated 
  adult 
  birds 
  is 
  

   obviated. 
  A 
  lady 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  England 
  who 
  followed 
  this 
  method 
  stocked 
  her 
  whole 
  

   estate 
  in 
  one 
  season 
  from 
  a 
  cock 
  and 
  two 
  hens, 
  the 
  latter 
  laying 
  about 
  fifty 
  eggs 
  each, 
  

   most 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  reared 
  by 
  their 
  wild 
  pheasant 
  foster-mothers. 
  

  

  Reeves's 
  Pheasants 
  are 
  hardy 
  birds 
  and 
  will 
  do 
  well 
  in 
  an 
  aviary 
  with 
  no 
  artificial 
  

   heat. 
  If 
  their 
  runway 
  is 
  too 
  small 
  for 
  them 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  full 
  amount 
  of 
  exercise 
  which 
  

   they 
  need, 
  they 
  will 
  require 
  shelter 
  in 
  severe 
  weather 
  from 
  icy 
  winds 
  and 
  snow. 
  A 
  

   record 
  of 
  over 
  fifty 
  individuals 
  confined 
  in 
  the 
  London 
  Zoological 
  Gardens 
  shows 
  an 
  

   average 
  length 
  of 
  life 
  of 
  almost 
  two 
  years, 
  while 
  one 
  bird 
  lived 
  five 
  years 
  and 
  four 
  

   months. 
  The 
  record 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  which 
  lived 
  near 
  Hong-Kong 
  for 
  thirteen 
  years 
  is 
  

   unique. 
  The 
  period 
  of 
  incubation 
  is 
  from 
  twenty-four 
  to 
  twenty-five 
  days. 
  

  

  DETAILED 
  DESCRIPTION 
  

  

  Adult 
  Male. 
  — 
  Central 
  crown 
  and 
  occiput, 
  lower 
  eyelid 
  and 
  a 
  patch 
  beneath 
  it, 
  

   chin, 
  throat 
  and 
  a 
  narrowing 
  band 
  around 
  the 
  lower 
  neck 
  pure 
  white. 
  Forehead, 
  lores, 
  

   featherlets 
  of 
  facial 
  area 
  and 
  a 
  broad 
  line 
  bounding 
  this 
  area 
  extending 
  backward 
  over 
  

   the 
  ear-coverts, 
  and 
  forming 
  a 
  band 
  around 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  upper 
  hind 
  neck, 
  a 
  broad 
  band 
  

   around 
  the 
  lower 
  throat, 
  beneath 
  the 
  white, 
  widening 
  on 
  the 
  breast, 
  velvety 
  black. 
  

   Lower 
  hind 
  neck 
  and 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  neck, 
  mantle, 
  scapulars, 
  inner 
  secondaries, 
  back 
  and 
  

   rump, 
  golden 
  yellow, 
  broadly 
  fringed 
  with 
  black. 
  The 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  mantle 
  plumage 
  is 
  

   comparatively 
  uniform, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  and 
  scapulars, 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  oblique 
  black 
  cross- 
  

   bars 
  appear 
  on 
  the 
  concealed 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  feather, 
  the 
  background 
  of 
  all 
  this 
  basal 
  area 
  

   being 
  white. 
  On 
  the 
  lower 
  back 
  this 
  entire 
  basal 
  area 
  becomes 
  black, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  rump, 
  

   the 
  black 
  cross-bars 
  and 
  white 
  ground 
  again 
  become 
  developed, 
  with 
  infinite 
  variations, 
  

   however. 
  

  

  The 
  wing-coverts 
  are 
  black 
  and 
  white, 
  the 
  white 
  on 
  the 
  lesser 
  coverts 
  being 
  confined 
  

   to 
  a 
  V-shaped 
  bar, 
  but 
  increasing 
  posteriorly 
  until 
  on 
  many 
  feathers 
  the 
  black 
  is 
  

   restricted 
  to 
  a 
  wide 
  margin 
  and 
  a 
  basal 
  shaft-streak. 
  The 
  terminal 
  white 
  is 
  strongly 
  

   tinged 
  with 
  gold 
  on 
  the 
  greater 
  coverts, 
  and 
  the 
  visible 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  secondaries 
  are 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  colour, 
  the 
  black 
  margins 
  dying 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  inner 
  feathers 
  of 
  this 
  series. 
  The 
  

   larger 
  secondaries 
  are 
  strongly 
  barred 
  with 
  white 
  on 
  the 
  concealed 
  portions, 
  the 
  bars 
  

   dying 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  web 
  and 
  becoming 
  rufous 
  on 
  the 
  inner 
  web 
  of 
  the 
  outermost 
  

   secondaries. 
  The 
  primaries 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  barred 
  with 
  rufous 
  and 
  pale 
  buff, 
  with 
  

   chestnut 
  spots 
  between 
  the 
  buff 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  web. 
  

  

  The 
  upper 
  tail-coverts 
  are 
  mottled 
  grey, 
  with 
  a 
  broad 
  golden-brown 
  margin 
  and 
  

   very 
  regular 
  broad 
  black 
  cross-bars, 
  the 
  visible 
  ones 
  with 
  chestnut 
  spots. 
  

  

  