26 
PHASIANID^. 
in the aviary, to pinion them, which is done by cutting oft* rather 
more than the first joint of the wing, having previously by means 
of a needle and thread inserted close to the small wing-bone, and 
brought round the large one, just within the skin, taken up the 
main blood-vessels ; the piece of the wing is then chopped off on a 
block : there is no loss of blood, and I never could observe that the 
birds seemed to suffer in the slightest degree afterwards, although the 
operation I dare say was painful enough. My reason for taking off' 
rather more than the first joint of the wing was, because I found that 
if only the first joint was taken off, the birds were always able, when 
grown up, to get out of the aviary, which was about twelve feet high ; 
and I found it thus requisite to take off so much as to render them 
incapable of any attempt at flying, but left enough remaining to enable 
them to reach their roosting place at night. I furnished them with a 
kind of ladder, by nailing cross pieces of wood on a long piece about 
three inches wide, and which they very soon learned to walk up and 
down with facility. One aviary in which I kept some, had a back wall 
to it covered with old ivy, and they preferred roosting in this ; indeed 
I always found, that although during a wet day those which were at 
liberty took shelter under a roof, yet at night they would not do so, but 
would instead roost in the open air. The females will lay about 
twenty-five eggs each in the aviary. I always provided them with 
baskets to lay in, which they only sometimes made use of : they take 
twenty-four days to hatch. The young cocks do not attain their full 
plumage until after the moult of the second summer ; they drop their 
chicken feathers when about three months old ; their plumage is then 
something like the hen’s, but sufficiently bright in some parts as easily 
to distinguish them from the young females ; in general there are more 
cocks than hens. If the cock birds are placed in a portion of the 
aviary apart from hens, any number may be kept together. I have had 
so many as twelve males in full plumage together, and when during the 
summer (and indeed at all times) these beautiful birds were going 
through the very curious and fanciful attitudes and manoeuvres peculiar 
to them, it was one of the most brilliant sights to be observed in nature. 
The flashing of their various golden, crimson, blue,* and purple plumes 
in different lights was absolutely dazzling to the eye, and at these 
times they contrive to display all the most beautiful parts of their 
plumage to the utmost advantage ; the golden crest is raised ; the 
