GREEN JAPANESE PHEASANT 137 



somewhat ashamed for allowing myself thus to be taken so completely aback ; but, 

 noticing the direction in which he had gone, I proceeded more carefully in pursuit. A 

 small stretch of tableland, which I soon reached, was covered with short grass and some 

 little clusters of shrubs, with scattered fragments of rocks ; and as I heard a note which 

 I took to be the crowing of a cock pheasant at a short distance, I availed myself of the 

 excellent cover, and, crawling cautiously on my hands and knees, I succeeded in 

 approaching him within about fifteen yards. Having the advantage of the wind and a 

 foggy atmosphere, and being, moreover, concealed by the rocks and shrubs, I could 

 indulge in quietly observing him and his family. On a small sandy patch was an adult 

 cock and three hens busy in taking their breakfast, which consisted of the berries already 

 mentioned growing hereabouts in abundance. From time to time the lord of this little 

 family stopped in his repast and crowed his shrill war-cry, which was answered by a 

 rival on another hill at some distance. At other moments again, when the sun broke 

 forth for a short time, all stretched themselves in the golden rays, and rolling in the 

 sand, shook the morning dew from their fine plumage. It was a beautiful sight, and I 

 looked upon it with exceeding pleasure; so much, indeed, that I could not find the 

 heart to destroy this little scene of domestic happiness by a leaden shower from my 

 fowling-piece. Suddenly the birds showed signs of uneasiness, and I soon discovered 

 the cause in a Japanese root-digger, coming from the opposite direction. I therefore 

 took up my gun, and, standing on my feet, raised the birds also, and as they flew 

 towards the next hill I had the good fortune to bring down the cock with one barrel of 

 my gun and one of the hens with the other. 



"The Japanese, who came up after I had loaded my gun and secured my game, 

 looked with some astonishment at the stranger, for I was certainly the first foreigner 

 who had been in pursuit of game on the hunting-grounds of Niphon. He evidently 

 asked me several questions, which I was not, of course, able to understand, but from his 

 signs, and the frequent repetition of the word ' statzoo ' (two), I inferred that he inquired 

 whether I had fired twice in such quick succession with one gun. I nodded and 

 explained to him as well as I could the nature of my double-barrelled gun, and the use 

 of percussion caps, which seemed to astonish and delight him very much. A pipe of 

 tobacco which I offered was gladly accepted; and in answer to a question that he 

 appeared to understand, he gave me the name of the pheasant as Ki-zhi. Later in the 

 day more people came to the hills, some for the purpose of digging roots, others to look 

 after their cattle, which appeared to be turned out to graze on the hills. The birds had 

 taken to the bushes, where I could not follow them, and so obtained no more specimens 

 on that occasion." 



The last view I had of Kiji in their native home was on a perfect day in Kagoshima. 

 I was returning from a long day's tramp after Ijima's copper pheasants, and for a few 

 minutes a splendid cock Green Pheasant stood outlined at the summit of a gentle rise. 

 The setting was the deep blue waters of the bay ; the pale blue of the sky ; the clear 

 green of the graceful, aged pines, while over all towered the majestic purpled cone of 

 Sakuragima. To my left, in a grove of open cryptomerias, several old Samurai were 

 teaching a group of young men to shoot with bows and arrows, and it was a stray shaft 

 which hurtled past the pheasant, which at last made it dive into the underbrush and 

 vanish from my sight. 



VOL. HI T 



