268 J. Delacour—Pheasant Notes : Status at Liberty and in Captivity



NOTES ON PHEASANTS, THEIR STATUS AT

LIBERTY AND IN CAPTIVITY


By J. Delacour


It appears that the interest of British aviculturists for Pheasants

has lately been increasing, as the formation of an Ornamental

Pheasant Society has shown us. It is a cause of great satisfaction

to me ; many years ago now, when I was still a child, I already

was fascinated by these gorgeous birds. At the age of twelve, I was

keeping several pairs ; at twenty, I had almost as many species

represented in my aviaries as I have at present.


Pheasant keeping and breeding has long been very popular in France.

Besides a few large collections, we have a number of smaller ones, and

many amateurs rear every year a number of the less common species.

Many European public and private aviaries have been stocked by

them. There are also very good pheasantries in Italy, where

Professor A. Ghigi owns one of the finest in the world, in Belgium, and

in Germany. English aviculturists do not seem to have been so keen

on Pheasants : it is only a few years ago that they have turned their

attention to these fine birds. It is most gratifying to see that they

have changed for the better in this way.


Pheasant breeding is not only an interesting hobby—nearly all

species are pretty, long-lived, and easy to propagate ; many can be

acclimatized and naturalized as game birds, with proper care and

attention at the beginning, and prove of great practical value—but

it is also a duty to nature as these wonderful creatures, at least many

species, may not survive for long in a natural state. Their flesh and

feathers make them the target of hunters ; it is becoming easier every

day to penetrate into their wild haunts, and the natives are now

armed with more deadly weapons. Species which seem to-day to be

quite safe may become extinct within a few years, if conditions change

suddenly. Also, their natural habitat is reduced every year.


With the exception of members of the genus Phasianus, who live

in open country covered with grass and bushes, Pheasants are

forest-dwelling birds. Forests are being destroyed all over the world

with appalling rapidity, and with them all the animals and birds



