LADY AMHERST'S PHEASANT 203 



1900. He says : "I had left my camp, which was pitched about 

 six miles from Fort White, on the evening of March 6 . . . 

 and was returning along the road (the Fort White — Kalemyo 

 road), when glancing down the khud I saw something grey dis- 

 appearing in the long grass just below me. I immediately started 

 to go after it, when I saw what appeared to me a light blue 

 streak just disappearing. I immediately fired, but it was with 

 faint hopes that I walked up to the spot, as not only did I think 

 the bird had disappeared before I shot, but I had just at the 

 moment of shooting slipped. I was, therefore, very much 

 delighted when I saw the blue streak tumbling down the hhud 

 below me. I immediately went after him and secured him ; 

 as I was descending the original grey bird, which was evidently 

 the female, got up and flew a short distance. I walked her up, 

 and my dog again put her up ; unfortunately, owing to the thick 

 jungle, I was unable to get a shot. Walking on, however, I 

 put up another, whether a cock or hen I could not say, as it was 

 already dusk. I fired, but the bird flew away, and although I 

 believe it dropped, I could not find it. These birds, when I saw 

 them, were feeding among the dry leaves which littered the 

 ground. 



" The next evening I tried the upper side of the road and put 

 up several (four at least) of these same birds out of some long 

 grass on a steep hillside. I only managed to get one long shot, 

 which was not successful. I again tried the next morning, 

 and was successful in bagging another ; my dog put it up on 

 our right, and flying very low through the bushes it crossed just 

 in front of me. . . . The hill on which I obtained these 

 specimens was between 4,000 and 5,000 feet high." 



Lady Amherst's Pheasant. 



Chrysolophus avihersticB. Seng-ky, Chinese. 



The striking contrast of satiny-green and white in the cock 

 Amherst pheasant's plumage would be quite sufficient for identi- 

 fication even without its structural peculiarities of wig or frill 

 of long rounded feathers, and extravagant length of tail which 



