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Show ] 18 ON THE BREEDING OF PHEASANTS. [Feb. 4, In 1876, July 24th, a pair of these birds were presented to the Society by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. The female died; but another female (received in exchange, July 17, 1877) laid three eggs in April 1878. These eggs were placed under a common Hen ; and two young birds were hatched, which are now living in the gardens. Mr. Misselbrook reports that the period of incubation in C. satyra is the same as in the other species, viz. twenty-eight days, and remarks that he has never seen the male of this species take part in the sitting. Otherwise its habits are similar to those of C. temmincki. H e adds that all Tragopans, both young and old, are great grass-eaters, and are also fond of dried fruits, such as currants, raisins, & c , and all kinds of wild berries, such as hawthorn-berries, privet-berries, and ripe elder-berries. The egg of C. satyra (Plate VIII. fig. 4) resembles that of G. temmincki, but is considerably larger, measuring nearly 2*7 inches by 1*6. 5. THE MANTCHURIAN CROSSOPTILON (Crossoptilon mantchu-ricum). W e received our first examples of this fine bird in July 18661. They were both males ; but females were obtained from the Jardin d'Acclimatation of Paris later in the same year. They bred in 1867 and 1868, but have not thriven with us since that period. Mr. Misselbrook has supplied me with the following notes on this species:- " The males and females of the Crossoptilon are the same in colour and appearance when young, and it is not easy to distinguish the sexes. In the adult birds the males are recognizable from being furnished with a small blunt spur, whereas the females have none. " The hens lay from twelve to sixteen eggs each at a sitting, the time of incubation being about twenty-eight or thirty days. I say twenty-eight or thirty days, as I have known the time to vary one or two days in the time of sitting. "I have not seen the males take any part in the incubation. "The great peculiarity in the young of these birds being their exceeding tameness; there is not the least shyness about them, they being more like the domesticated chicken." The egg of the Crossoptilon (Plate VIII. fig. 5) is of a uniform pale stone-colour, and measures about 2*3 inches by 1*7. EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. PLATE VII. Chick (male) of Argus giganteus, from an example which died on 25th August, 1878. PLATE VIII. Fig. 1. Egg of Argus giganteus. 2. Egg of Polyplectron chinquis. 3. Egg of Ceriornis temmincki. 4. Egg of Ceriornis satyra. 5. Egg of Crossoptilon mantchuricum. 1 See P. Z. S. 1866, p. 418. |