The Marquess of Tavistock—The Breeding of Lutino Bingnecks 235


It is true that versicolor has been introduced and hybridized in

this country but the pure strain has now quite died out, at least from

the point of view of the colour of the feathers.


The coloured plate here reproduced is drawn by Mr. H. Gronvold

from a perfectly pure specimen of tenehrosus since set up and soon to

be exhibited in the Bird Gallery of the British Museum at South

Kensington. The above-mentioned plate was the first to appear

in any ornithological journal in this country.


It is interesting to learn that the mutant Pheasant made its

appearance in France within the last two or three years and Professor

Lonnberg, of Stockholm, informs me that this Pheasant has also

appeared in Sweden, but this is probably derived from the English

stock which has regularly been imported to that country. It is also

worthy of record that tenebrosus is also obtained in Japan from the

pure versicolor group in its wild state.


It will be interesting in future to notice to what extent the mutant

Pheasant will multiply in the feral state ; whether it will stand by

itself in range with colchicus or entirely replace that species.


[Since writing the above article I have read Mr. D. Seth-Smith’s

article on the same subject which appeared in The Ibis for July. I

entirely share the opinions he there expresses.—M. H.]



THE BREEDING OF LUTINO RINGNECKS


By The Marquess of Tavistock


This article might also be called Per ardua ad astra since it must

be about eighteen years ago that Mr. Ezra gave me a lovely golden

parrakeet with red eyes and white flight feathers and I embarked on

the thorny path of endeavour in trying to get her to reproduce her

virtues in her descendants. This original bird (she is still alive but

has .not bred for many years and is obviously aged) though a

wonderful colour, was not otherwise a good specimen, having a rather

humped-up look and flying heavily, and these defects she unfortunately

transmitted to her offspring with unnecessary fidelity.



