PLATE XIX 



BLUE EARED-PHEASANT 



Crossoptilon auritum (Pallas) 



The mountain slopes of north-eastern Tibet, with their larch, cedar and birch woods, are the roosting 

 places of these birds, which by day come out into more open zones where growths of low bamboo, 

 rhododendron, hawthorn and wild rose afford protection for their nests. The Chinese farmers set traps 

 innumerable, for the central tail feather of the Eared- Pheasant is the badge of authority for the military 

 leaders and therefore brings a high price. Year by year the birds are becoming rarer and it is not likely 

 that they can hold their own for a much longer period. They live in pairs during the summer, but in autumn 

 unite in good-sized flocks. When the snows come, these work downward into the lower valleys and roost 

 close together among the upper branches of the tallest trees. 



