From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
A game bird, Phasianus colchicus, of striking plumage. From the Middle Ages to about the 18th century, it was the tradition to set aside the head and tail and to reassemble the cooked bird in its plumage to bring it to the table. There are many varieties all over the world; the type we know in North America was imported from Shanghai in the late 19th century.
