CHAPTER XX. 



PHEASA^^TS ADAPTED TO THE AYIARY 

 (CONTINUED). 



THE SILVER PHEASANT {EUPLOCAMUS NYCTHE- 

 MERUS) AND ALLIED SPECIES. 



J^pm, NDER the name of Euplocamns mjcthemerus the 

 J IlM^l l^ Silver Pheasaut has been known to naturalists 

 4(^?" since the time of Linnasus. In the earlier works 

 %^^ on natural history, such as that of Albin, published in 

 1y 1738, and Edwards, in 1751, it was termed the Black 

 \ and White Chinese pheasant, which name was employed 

 by Buffon; it was also termed the Pencilled and Lineated 

 Pheasant, and by Temminck, the Faisan hicolor. 



Its native locality was first definitely ascertained by 

 Consul Swinhoe, who informs us that it inhabits the wooded 

 hills in the interior of southern China. Writing to Mr. 

 Elliot, he states : " This bird is known to the Chinese as the 

 Pih Heen, and it is one of those which are embroidered upon 

 the heart-and-back badges of the official dresses of the civil 

 Mandarins to denote the rank of the wearers. So far as I 

 have ascertained, it is found in the wooded mountains of 

 the following provinces : Fokein, Canton, Kwangse, and 

 Kweichou. It is brought to Canton city from the province 

 of Kwangse by the west river, and offered alive in the shops 

 for sale. All the birds I have seen so offered have been 

 captured; I do not think the Chinese had the bird in con- 

 finement. A friend of mine shot one in some woods, in the 



