THK



153



Hvtcultural flfta$a3tne,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURAL SOCI ETY.



Third Series —VOL. III. —No 6 .—All rights reserved. APRIL, 1912.



THE DISPLAY OF


THE SATYRA TRAGOPAN PHEASANT.


Ceriornis satyr a.


By C. Barnby Smith.


For some years past I have kept Satyra Tragopan Pheasants,

and have had rather special opportunities for seeing the frontal

display of the cock, which I regard as one of the most extra¬

ordinary sights I have ever seen in bird life. I gather from

several sources that many people are not so fortunate as myself

in this respect—and indeed I cannot but think if the extraordinary

courting attitude of the bird were more fully known, Tragopans

would be far more commonly kept than they are at present. I

gather from a note to his interesting article on the Display of the

Peacock Pheasant (Avicultural Magazine , June, 1911) that Mr.

Pocock has only seen the lateral display of the Tragopan. Now

the lateral display of a cock Tragopan in good plumage is

interesting ; that is, he presents one side of the head, body, and

tail to the hen, and lowers one wing and raises the other until he

almost looks like the mere skin of a bird stretched flat on a wall.

This pose is constantly assumed during the breeding season (from

February onwards) the cock taking up a position about a yard

distant from the hen and repeatedly assuming a new position if

she moves off.


This lateral display, however, is as nothing to the frontal

display which I usually notice some three or four times each

season. In this case the cock faces the hen (about two or three

yards distant) and commences by crouching down slightly,

ruffling his feathers, and spreading his wings which are slowly



