father than come there by chance *. In various parts of England
in great plenty, and breed in abundance, efpecially where
there are woods, of' Which they are fond, and are plentiful
enough to afford full fport for thofe who delight in the gun.
They breed on the ground ljke the Partridge, and lay from
twelve to fifteen eggs, which are fmaller than thofe of a Hen,
and fimilar to thofej of the Partridge, but paler: the young follow
the mother like Chickens,. .The. male may be heard to crow
in the woods not greatly unlike a Cock, and will frequently
cbme into the farm-yards in the neighbourhood of woods, and
produce crofs breeds with the Hens.
M. Salerne remarks, that the hen Pheafant, when done laying
and fitting, will get the plumage of the male, and after that become
fo little refpefted by him, as to be treated with the fame incivility
as he would lhew to one of his own fex. He mentions
this as a new ohfervation; but it is far more common than may
be generally fuppofed, and had been long before mentioned by
Edwards |. A gentleman of my acquaintance, dead long" fince,
* They are compleatly imprifoned in the I/olo Madre, in the Laggo Maggiort
at <Turini as they cannot fly over the la k e ; for on their attempting to do this
they are drowned, except the boatmen pick them up.-~Key/ler. Tra*v. i. p. 378.
f This author gave fo'r example one kept in the menagery of the Duke o f
Leeds ; and remarks, that this change is moft likely to happen when in a confined
(late. The circumftance of the Hen acquiring the plumage of the Cock, after
a certain time, is not confined to the Pheafant; the inftance of the Pea-hen || belonging
to Lady fy n ie , now in the Leverian Mufeum, evinces the contrary, which,
after having many broods, got much of the fine plumage o f the Cock, with the
addition even of the fine train feathers. The fem ale alfo o f the Rock Manakin is
faid to get the plumage of the oppofite fex after a number of years ; and perhaps,
i f obferved hereafter, this may be found to be the cafe with many other
%ecies.
£
11 P i, LX.
who
Who ufed to keep thefe birds for his amufement, obferved the
fame to me : and the ingenious Mr. J. Hunter has a well-drawn-
up paper in the PHI. Tran/. * to the famé purport : but, in addition
to this, I am well informed, that it does not always require
mature age to give the hen Pheafant the appearance of the male,
as fometimes young birds will be adorned with his fine plumage.
I will not fay how this happens, and whether it may be peculiar
to this fpecies to grow barren (if that be the reafon) fooner than
any other of the Gallinaceous tribe ; but I am allured that feveral
of thefe fpurlefs, cock-like hens, have proved on eating to be
young birds, from their juicinefs and delicacy of flavour.
A Fine variety of this bird is now not uncommon in our
^ aviaries. This differs in having a ring of pure white round
the neck; and the colours of the plumage more diftinét, particularly
the feathers of the lower part of the neck and breafl,
which are more deeply indented than in the common, each feather
appearing double at the end.
Thefe are common in the woods in fome of the provinces of
China. In fome drawings of thefe we obferved a ftreak of white
over each eye. They are alfo common about the Cafpian Sea,
and in the fobthern part of the defert between the Don and
Wolga : alfo in Great Part ary, and in the fouth of the Mongolian
Defert -f, where they are laid to be lefs than the Common Pheafant.
Are alfo pretty common at St. Helena
4*
V ar. A.
RING PHEASANT.
A V a r i h t t t .
D e s c r i p t i o n «
P l a c e
* Vol. lxx. p. 527.
% Introduced by the governor.
One .—For/}. Voy.xu p. 567.
f Mr. Pennant.
Said to be five pounds penalty oh (hooting
4 Ÿ 2 Le