94 ‘NATURAL HISTORY: 
PHEASANT. 
‘Tae plumage of this bird is fo beautiful, that 
many efteem it next in rank to the peacock. Creefus, 
king of Lydia, when feated on his throne, arrayed 
in all the {plendor of the Eaft, afked Solon, if he had 
ever feen any thing fo fine? To which the philofo- 
pher replied, that, after having f€en a pheafant, no 
other finery could aftonifh him. — 
Although the pheafant is, certainly, a moft beauti- 
ful and elegant bird, yet there are many others, as 
well as the peacock, which can vie with 1 lum- . 
age. Its chief beauties are in the eyes, which are 
ellow, furrounded with fcarlet, and {potted with . 
lack; black feathers, intermingled with a glofly 
,purple, adorn the fore part of the head; while the to 
of the head, and the upper part of the neck, aré'tinge 
witha darkifh, fhining green: The back; fides? breaft. 
and fhoulders, are of a black colour, changing to pur- 
ple, according to the fituation of the {pe€tator, under 
which purple is a tranfverfe ftreak of a goldcolour. _ 
The tail is about eighteen inches long; the legs,” 
feet and toes, are of a horn colour; and twe of the 
toes are connected by a membrane. 
This bird is not only beautiful to the eye, but ex-_ 
tremely delicate to the tafte. But, as if it difdained 
the commerce of man, it has left him to take fhelter 
in the woods and forefts; to which unlimited freedom 
may be attributed the exquifite flavour of its fleth. 
