198 BEAUTIFUL BIRDS 
and also in the Malay Peninsula and Siam, which are, 
both, part of the great Asiatic continent—as perhaps 
you know. Yes, that is where he lives, but you 
might walk about there for a very long time, without 
ever once seeing him, for the Argus Pheasant 1s a 
very difficult bird to find. He lives in the great, 
thick forests, and keeps out of everybody’s way. 
One hardly ever does find /zm, but, sometimes, one 
finds his drawing-room (for he has one, like the Cock- 
of-the-Rock and the Lyre-bird), and if one waits 
there long enough (J would wait a week if it were 
necessary) one may see him come into it. He spends 
almost all his time in looking after this drawing- 
room, and he only sees the hen Argus Pheasant when 
she comes there too, to look at him. Of course he 
dances in it, and it is there that he spreads out his 
wonderful wings and lifts up his tail, in the way that 
I have told you. The Argus Pheasant is very proud 
of his drawing-room, and he w7// have it nice and 
clean, with nothing lying about in it. So, if he finds 
anything there that has no business to be there, he 
picks it up with his beak, and throws it outside. He 
has not to open a door to do that; his drawing-room 
is only an open space which he keeps nice and 
smooth, so, as it is always open, it does not want a 
door to it. Now I think you will say—and I am 
sure your mother will agree with you—that the 
