Title: Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history
Identifier: animatecreationp04wood (find matches)
Year: 1898 (1890s)
Authors: Wood, J. G. (John George), 1827-1889; Holder, Joseph B. (Joseph Bassett), 1824-1888; Prang, Louis, 1824-1909, lithographer; Brehm, Alfred Edmund, 1829-1884; Wood, J. G. (John George), 1827-1889. Illustrated natural history; National Zoological Park (U. S. ), former owner. DSI
Subjects: Zoology; Zoology
Publisher: New York : Selmar Hess
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
468 THE SILVER PHEASANT. velvety-black. The whole raff can be raised or depressed at will. Fly-fishers hold the crest and riiff of this bird in great value, as many of their best artificial baits owe their chief beauty to the Golden Pheasant. Jnst below the rnff comes a patch of scale-like rounded feathers o! dark glossy-green, over which the ends of the ruff feathers play as the bird moves its head, and below them the back is wholly of a bright golden - yel- low, enriched on the upper tail - coverts by a crimson edg- ing. The primary and the second- ary feathers of the wings are a rich brown barred with chestnut, and their bases are deep blue. The breast and ab- domen are brightest scarlet, and the tail is rich chestnut mottled with black. The eye is bright, glancing, and of a whitish yellow. These magnifi- cent colors only be- long to the male bird, the female be- ing reddish-brown spotted and marked with a darker hue, and the tail is short. The second ruffed Pheasant is that which is known by the name of Amiieest's Pheasant (TJumnuilea amMrs- ticp), also a native of China. This magnificent bird has a wonderfully long and broad tail, quite as remarkable as that of Reeves' Pheasant. The crest of this beautiful bird is scarlet, the tippet is snowy-whit(% each feather being tipped with velvety-black, the shoulders are rich shining green, the abdomen pure white, and the tail is white, barred with dark gi-een, and strik- •;,• ingly varied with the scarlet tips of the upper tail-coverts, which are much elongated. The Silver Pheasant is another inhabitant of China, and is found chiefly in the northern portions of that country. It is one of the largest and most powerful of the tribe to which it belongs, and is said to be a match for a game-cock in fair combat. It is a hardy bird, and, like the Golden Pheasant, has been turned loose into preserves, but Avith even less success. The weight of the bird is generally too great in proportion to its strength of wing, so tliat it does not readily raise itself from the ground, and thereby runs a risk of being devoured by the carnivorous quadrupeds that infest every preserve. Moreover, it is so large, so strong, and so combative, that it fights the common Pheasants, and drives them out of the coverts, so that at present we have to content ourselves with rearing it under the safe protection of brick and wire.
Text Appearing After Image:
'

Note About Images