THE AMERICAN MOUNTAIN-PHEASANTS. 219 



de Fuego. Previous to i860, only about seven specimens were 

 known, but in that year Mr. Osbert Salvin, under the guidance 

 of one Jose Ordoiiez, a hunter from Duenas, paid a visit to the 

 spot. Jose had on several previous occasions succeeded in 

 shooting specimens of tlie Mountain-Pheasant, but on this 

 expedition none were obtained. Mr. Salvin writes: — "We 

 started at six o'clock in the morning at break of day, reached 

 the forest region at nine, and continued climbing until we had 

 almost passed out of it into the region of pines and coarse grass 

 with which the peak is clothed, but no Oreophasis was met with. 

 Descending again, we struck the barranco in which Jose had 

 shot the specimens he brought me, but with no better success, 

 except that I found unmistakable ' sign ' in the shape of 

 feathers, and the fruit of the tree I had been in search of. 

 Though not successful, this expedition was satisfactory in one 

 respect — I had seen a spot where the Oreophasis certainly had 

 visited, and where my specimens had been killed. ... I 

 regret that I cannot give any other than Jose's account of the 

 habits of this bird, but as his stories bear a semblance of truth, 

 I do not hesitate in transcribing them. In the early morning 

 he told me he usually found them in the upper branches of 

 the forest trees, searching for their favourite fruit (a species of 

 Prumcs) which they eat both ripe and unripe ; as the day ad- 

 vances they descend to the underwood, where they remain all 

 day, basking and scratching among the leaves. This is pretty 

 much what a Penelope or Crax does, both of which I have 

 frequently had opportunities of observing in the forests of the 



lowlands. The cry of the bird he could not describe satis- 

 factorily. . ." 



The Oreophasis is known to the Indians frequenting the 

 mountains as " Khannanay " and to the Ladino^, or half-breed 

 Indians, as the " Faisan." 



Mr. Salvin informs me that he subsequently shot several ad- 

 ditional examples of the Mountain-Pl^.casant, but his personal 

 observations have not yet been published and will appear at 



