THE PHEASANT TRIBE. 2)97 



These birds inhabit Australia, the Australian Jungle Fowl (Mega- 

 podins tumulus) being the best known type. 



The Leipocz bear a great resemblance to the Megapodii, and are 

 natives of the same country, where they are familiarly called the 

 Native Pheasant : their habits have not been studied. 



The Talegalli, familiarly known as • the Brush Turkeys, inhabit 

 Australia and New Guinea. They live in low brushwood, adjacent 

 to the sea. These birds have a curious plan in building their nests. 

 They scrape together a large quantity of dry leaves, of which they 

 form a conical mound five or six feet high, after the manner of 

 the Australian Jungle Fowl, but not on so large a scale. On the top 

 of this heap they make a hole, in which the female drops two or 

 three eggs, one on the top of the other. The heat produced by 

 fermentation, joined with the rays of the sun, gives sufficient warmth 

 to hatch them. 



Phasianid^:. 



This family is divided into several genera or tribes ■ namely, 

 Pheasants, Peacocks, Guinea Fowls, Turkeys, and Curassows. 



The Pheasant tribe comprises not only Pheasants proper, but 

 also the Domestic Fowls— properly the Bankiva Fowl — the Argus, 

 Tragopans, &c. Their characteristics are as follows : The head 

 bare, bill stout, wings short and flight heavy, tail largely developed, 

 plumage brilliant, sometimes gorgeous. 



Although these birds were originally natives of Asia, some have 

 been naturalised over nearly the whole face of the earth since time 

 immemorial ; the Pheasant, however, is not so widely spread, although 

 its range has been much increased. 



The Pheasant is remarkable for the extraordinary length of its 

 tail, the middle feathers of which in one species, Reeves's Pheasant 

 (Phasianus Reevesii), sometimes attain a length of seven or eight 

 feet. It is a bird of noble and elegant form, and the males are 

 adorned with brilliant plumage; the hens possessing a more unattrac- 

 tive attire. The sides of the face and round the eyes are bare and tuber- 

 culous. The stronger sex are provided with spurs (Plate XVI II.). 



There are many species of Pheasant, but there is no obvious dif- 

 erence in their habits; we shall therefore content ourselves with 

 giving an account of the Common Pheasant (Phasianus Colchicus, 

 Fig. 154), of which there are many varieties spread through Europe. 



The introduction of the Pheasant into Europe dates as far back 

 as the expedition of the Argonauts, about 1300 b.c. The com- 

 panions of Jason met with this bird on the banks of the Phasis in 



