﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  159 
  

  

  Order 
  GALLING. 
  

  

  Family 
  PHASIANIDiE. 
  

  

  Genus 
  PHASIANUS, 
  Linn. 
  

  

  Phasianus 
  coichicus, 
  Linn, 
  Pheasant. 
  

  

  Although 
  this 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  resident 
  in 
  Britain 
  for 
  

   the 
  last 
  six 
  hundred 
  years 
  — 
  perhaps 
  much 
  longer 
  (see 
  Pro- 
  

   fessor 
  Boyd 
  Dawkins's 
  note 
  in 
  Yarrell's 
  British 
  Birds, 
  4th 
  Ed., 
  

   vol. 
  iii., 
  p. 
  94) 
  — 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  found 
  its 
  way 
  to 
  

   " 
  Dee 
  " 
  earlier 
  than 
  considerably 
  after 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  

   last 
  century. 
  It 
  is 
  stated 
  in 
  the 
  N. 
  S. 
  A. 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  parish 
  

   of 
  Monymusk, 
  Pheasants 
  in 
  "considerable 
  numbers, 
  which 
  

   had 
  been 
  lately 
  introduced 
  by 
  the 
  proprietor, 
  are 
  now 
  thriving 
  

   at 
  large." 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  publication, 
  the 
  Pheasant 
  is 
  men- 
  

   tioned 
  in 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  birds 
  for 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Chapel 
  of 
  Garioch. 
  

   It 
  is 
  now 
  abundant 
  over 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  district, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  due 
  

   to 
  the 
  care 
  devoted 
  to 
  it 
  by 
  man. 
  It 
  is 
  doubtful 
  if 
  it 
  could 
  

   "hold 
  its 
  own" 
  if 
  not 
  reared 
  under 
  foster-mothers 
  and 
  care- 
  

   fully 
  cooped 
  and 
  fed 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  few 
  months 
  of 
  its 
  life. 
  

  

  Genus 
  CACCIBIS, 
  Kemp. 
  

  

  Caccibis 
  rufa, 
  Linn. 
  Red-legged 
  Partridge. 
  

  

  A 
  specimen 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  was 
  shot 
  by 
  the 
  gamekeeper 
  on 
  

   the 
  estate 
  of 
  Scotstown, 
  near 
  Aberdeen, 
  on 
  December 
  21st, 
  

  

  1866, 
  and 
  sent 
  to 
  me. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  specimen 
  mentioned 
  by 
  

   Gray, 
  who 
  says 
  it 
  was 
  shot 
  " 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  week 
  of 
  January, 
  

  

  1867. 
  " 
  Mr. 
  Gray 
  concludes 
  that 
  " 
  this 
  Aberdeenshire 
  speci- 
  

   men 
  therefore 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  migratory 
  visitor 
  from 
  the 
  

   south." 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  many 
  reasons 
  why 
  we 
  cannot 
  concur 
  in 
  such 
  

   an 
  opinion, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned. 
  For 
  some 
  

   years 
  back 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  strong 
  desire 
  manifested 
  on 
  the 
  

   part 
  of 
  many 
  landed 
  proprietors 
  and 
  keepers 
  to 
  have 
  

   " 
  new 
  blood 
  " 
  and 
  varieties 
  of 
  colour 
  introduced 
  amongst 
  

   their 
  Pheasants, 
  and 
  in 
  their 
  dealings 
  with 
  London 
  egg- 
  

   vendors, 
  they 
  have, 
  on 
  many 
  occasions 
  known 
  to 
  me, 
  had 
  

   sent 
  to 
  them 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  Red-legged 
  Partridge, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

  

  L 
  2 
  

  

  