CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1898-05-12
MONGOLIAN PHEASANTs.
Are Fast Becoming Popular az
American Game Birds.
II IL Thought They May Displace the
Quail as . Favorfte with
Sp0ftsmen-Their First
Introduction.


I, ears succeed the quail as the popular
American game bird. The pheasant
has not only its toothsome qualities to
recommend it, but its beauty, in waving
plumage of rayishing hues, and there
fore will prove prize that every sports
man will enleavor to secure when the
season is once open for its slaughter.
II has attracted the attention of our
sporting men for many years, in con-
sequence of its successful introduction
on the Pacific slope, and now many
eastern states are introducing the Mon
golian bird into their domains. In Ohio
alone over 200 birds were liberated this
year.
Mongolian pheasants are well worth
all the expense and care that may be ex-
pended upon them They evidently rank
next TO the birds of paradise in beauty.
and in fact are too handsome to be made
targets of.
The male bird has the cheeks naked
and Of the brightest scarlet, minutely
specked with black; the crown of the
head is bronze green; on each side of the
occiput tuft of dark golden-green
feathers. capable of being erected at
pleasure. and very conspicuous in the
pairing season: upper part of the neck
dark green. eiossed with purple and
violet blue; lower part of the neck,
breast and flanks. deep reddish orange.
showing in some positions beautiful re-
Elections of light purple; each feather
bordered and terminating with pansy
purple: center of the belly and thighs
biackish brown; center of the back and
scapular feathers black or brownish
black. surrounded with a yellowish
white band and bor5ered with a deep
reddish orange; lower part of the back
and upper tail covert green, inter
mingled with broHnish orange and pur-
pie red; tail feathers brown. crossed by
bands OF black ana fringed with red
dish brown: bill pale yellowi legs and
toes grayish black. The female has
cheeks covered with small. closely set
feathers. and the whole of the plumage
yellowish brown. mingled with differ
ent shades of gray, brown and black.
The Mongolian pheasant was first in
troduced into thls country by Judge o.
y. Denny, who was our consul general
at Shanghai. He, while there, be-
came deeply interested in the large va
riety OF exquisiiely plnmagei food birds
of that section of the globe, and deter
mined to introduce the hardest. the
most foothsome, and the most prolific
bird into the United States. His first
experiment in 1881 was failure. but in
1852 he selec,ed from nine varieties the
Chinese ring-necked pheasant. the Mon
golian. which is now called in Oregon.
in compliment to the Introduces. the
Denny pheasant.
There were but rs of these, and they
all arrived safely at Portland. Ore
They were eimmediafely liberated among
the grain fields and semi-brush-covered
and wooded prairie nj Judge Denny's
brothers ranch in Linn county, there TO
adapt themselves or go out of exist
ence.
Nothing was seen of the new birds
for two years. and then here and there
In different portions of the country
shy little coveys made their appearance.
aud before five years elapsed the cucket-
ing of the brilliant-plnmaged male birds
was far more commonly heard than
that OF their own native grouse. 1t
should be said that through Judge
Dcnny's instrumentalI;y the legisla-
iure passed law protecting the new
pheasant for period OF FIVE years. and
at the expiration of ttat time, again
a; his suggestion. the time was extend
ed for another interval of equal length.
A. the end of ten years Oregon was lit
orally alive with IN. Monrolian pheas-
ant. which delights the hear, Of every
sportsman with Its swift, and rapid
fligh; and tempts the most epicurean
palate by it's delicious white flesh
Newark Call.