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The PAINTED                PHE'ASANT from China.
T     H I S Bird is rather fmaller than our Engli/h Pheafant, fhaped pretty
much like
it, but the Tail I think is longer in Proportion, the middle Feather being
23
Inches long. It has been already described by A/bin in his Hiflory of Birds,
Vol III.
P1a. 34. by the Name of the Red Pheafant; but having in it a Mixture of all
the gay
and gorgeous Colours imaginable, I thought the Name I have given it more
proper to
it. Mr. A/bin's Figure of this Bird being far wide of a juft and natural
Defcription,
I (iall endeavour to mend his Faults in mine: He has made its Bill and Head
much too
large for his Proportion, his Wing too long, and his Tail hardly half long
enough, and
omitted many Particulars, which I fhall add both in my Figure and Defcription.
Its Bill is of a light Yellow Colour, fornething darker towards the Point;
the Eyes
encircled with a bright Yellow; the Sides of the Head beneath the Eyes of
a Flefi Ce-
lour, bare, or very thinly fet with Feathers; the Crown of the Head is cover'd
with
fine bright yellow or gold-colour'd Feathers, which it Sometimes ereds into
a Creft,
and Sometimes lets fall on the Neck: The upper Part of the Neck is cover'd
with
Orange-colour'd Feathers, mark'd with tranfverfe Bars of Black; thefe Feathers
it can
raife as our Dunghill Cocks do their Feathers when they fight: The Bottom
of the Neck
and the Beginning of the Back are covered with fine dark-green Feathers,
which reflect
a gold Colour, with black tranfverfe Bars at their Tips; thefe Feathers,
as the Bird
rpoves, have a different Motion from the other Feathers, falling Sometimes
farther over
the Back, and flipping from Side to Side: The Remainder of the Back to the
Tail is
.cover'd with a beautiful golden Yellow, mixed at the fetting on of the Wing,
and
where the Feathers fall over the Tail, with a few bright fcarlet Feathers:
The greateft
or prime Quills of the Wings are dufky or black, with yellow brown Spots
on their
Webs; the middle Quills are of a dull Red, mixed and fpotted with Black :
Some of
the leffer Qidlls next the Back are of an exceeding fine full Blue Colour;
the Infide of
all the (~i lls are dufky; all the covert Feathers are of a dull Reddifh
Colour, the flrft
Row that immediately covers the Q(~ills inclining a little more to Yellow,
and have
tranfverfe Lines of Black. The under Side of the Bird, from Bill to Tail,
is of a very
fineRed or ScarletColour; theThighs are of a Clay Colour; the Tail is a Mixture
of black
and Reddiffh-brown Colour; the two middle Feathers black, fpotted with round
and fome
irregular Spots of Brown, the Side Feathers obliquely fireaked Black and
Brown, as ex-
preffed. There fhoots over the great Feather of the Tail fome long narrow
fcarlet Fea-
thers with yellowish Shafts, which extend to near half the Length of the
Tail. I have
expreffed the Tail Feathers more loofe and Separated than the Bird generally
carries them,
in order to fhew how the different Feathers are mark'd: The Legs and Feet
are like
Ien's Feet, but fomething flenderer, of a Yellow Colour, and hath fhort yellow
Spurs,
Thefe Birds of late Years are frequently brought from China: I have feen
feveyal of
them in the Poffeflion of our Nobility, and fome curious Gentlemen, and have
been
favotyed with one of them newly dead by the Lady of Sir /obn Heat/acote,
Bart. which
has enabled me to be more exaat in every Particular of my Figure than I could
other-
wife, or any have hitherto been. Thefe Birds are pretty hardy, and bear our
Climate
very well; and I believe, were they brought with their Hens, might be bred
with a
little Care. Sir Hans Sloan: has the Cock nows living, which this Figure
represen ts, and
I think, if I remember riglht, he has had it about i S Years.          'Ybe