figured, plate 83*7, a bird which was considered to have' been
produced between a Pheasant and a Turkey;; Henry Seymour,
Esq. of Handford,; Do^etShire, .discovered-stilf^e-or
four of these birds in the woods, near his house, and ^shoti’öhë
in October 1759, which he* sent to Mrisffildwards, ^who ^figured
and deScribéd-dt'j as quoted. I ha^piitwÉse been-'‘Shown-birdé
that were said to- b e , the produce - of 'the; Pheasant and the
Guinea Fowl, and thèievidenêe-tór bo derived from tie pluimage
was in favour of thè statementi...-. Of birds produced
between the Pheasant and iheuBlaek Grouse,i sevemlr hjggjr
occurred within the last few'years;; fighres and particulars will
bergiven under the head of Black Grouse;« Birds produced
between the Pheasant and Common Fowl , are öf&ftequént
occurrence, and such a one is usually-called a Pero.r.The
Zoological Society .havfe. possessed several, which; were" :fèr’ a
time kept together, buf-shoWed no feigns j of b re e d in g th e y
are considered like other, hybrids ,to be unproductive among
themselves, all being half bred; but when * paired with thé
true Pheasant or the Fowl,- - the;"case is different.^ The Zoological
Society has had exhibited at the evening meetings two
instances óf success in this sort of second cross. The first
was in 1831, when the Hon. Twiselton Fienhes'ex^bited a
specimen ofiabybridDuck,; bred between amale Pintail énd
a Common Duck. I t Wakened of,!a brood of six,.»several IfF
which were subsequently confined with' the1 male Pinta'il'MM
which they sprung, and produced young. A specimen of a
female o f this éëéond brood was also exhibited Proceedings
fo r 1881, -p. 158; The sècond instan<^/'41totïgh
later in date, is more in point, in September 183fi, a Communication
from Edward Fuller, Esq. of Carleton Hall,, near,
Saxmundham, was read, which .stated that his gamekeeper
had succeeded in rearing two .birds from a Barn-door Hen,
having a cross from a! Pheasant, and a Pheasant cock ; that
the birds partook equally of the two1 species in their habits,
manners*; and' appearance* and concluded by presenting them
to dh,e Society.*-' | The gamekeeper of Edward Fuller, Esq. in
a short note which accompanied the birds,, stated that he had
bred thein, and they werft three-quarter-bred Pheasants.—
Zool. Proceedings p. 84. Several specimens of
hybrids*, from the preserved collectiqn in the Museum of the
S,©.<?iefey*, were placed ondhf1 table the same evening.for exhi-
s-jbbfwfo^ amd-. comparison.'?: These had .been bred between the
Pheasant and Common4 Fowl, the iCommon Pheasant and
the Silver Pheasant; and; the Common Pheasant with the
Gold Pheasant...
A fristpry- nf t<Jir Pheasant would be incomplete, if left
Without any notie# of that remarkable, assumption of a plum-
agê? resembling the male observed to take place m some of the
£emales*-Whichds well known to -sportsmen and gamekeepers,
by whom such birds are usually called Mule Pheasants. The
'name’yfs-. correct, since, ^jeme of our dictionaries show that the
term mule is derived from a wqrd which signifies-barren, and
-.;|pfSé hen Pheasants :$ffe incapable of producing;'egg#' from
.derang.émfsÉ?of the',generative organs ; sometimes an original
internal defect^ sometimes from subsequent disease, and
Sometimes'from old age. The illustration here givèn represents
on a small' scale, a preparation of part of the'body of a
healthy female Pheasant in winter, in the left hand figure;
and that of' a diseased female Pheasant on the right hand.
The disorganisation is marked by the appearance of the dark
lead colour'pervading" the-ovarium, situated on the middle
line, and between the-two kidneys, Which, dark colourds seen
in patches on various- parts of the oviduct below ; and I have
never examined a hen Pheasant assuming the plumage of the
male without finding more or less of the appearance here indicated.
The subject, however, in its details,' is unsuited to
our popular work but those who desire to carry their investigation
further will find a paper by Dr. Butter in the third