846 
LADY AMHERST'S PHEASANT. 
KPICVES PHEASANT. 
admiration. Even the |X)wer of 
habit cannot deaden the plea- 
sure derived from the sight of 
his rich plumage ; while he 
' y*^, , who sees the bird for the first 
time cannot remove his eyes 
from him." 
This may be true ; but at least 
the golden pheasant has a powerful 
rival in Lady Amherst's, — a species 
so called because introduced into 
Europe by the wife of Lord Amherst, 
English ambassador to China in the 
reign of George III. We are not about 
to attempt a description of him, lest we 
should be supposed to have in our me- 
mory the catalogue of an artists' colour- 
maker. But the bird rejoices in a crest 
of red and black ; in a bright orolden 
J DO 
green about the upper wing-coverts and 
the back, passing into a golden yellow ; 
to which the pure white of the under 
parts affords a delightful contrast. 
To the highlands of China, east of Pekin, 
belongs the ear-pheasant (Crossoptilon auri- 
tum), or Ho-ki of the Chinese. The general 
character of his plumage is sombre, but it 
is relieved by the whiteness of the throat, 
the auricular tufts, and the upper feathers 
of the wings. 
To the numerous family of the Pha- 
sianidte, but occupying a kind of middle 
position between the pheasant proper 
and tlie peacock, belong the beautiful 
