200 A MONOGRAPH OF THE PHEASANTS 



direction down to a very large, deep valle}^, on the other side of which is Mount Morrison. 

 The sides of this valley are exceedingly steep, unclimbable in almost all places, with 

 great outjutting cliffs of white rock, white where it is not covered with lichen and deep 

 green moss. This is the home of the Mikado Pheasant, among six-foot bamboos and 

 rhododendrons, the latter with white or scarlet flowers, while others are pale pink with 

 purple centres. The birds work upward and often pass over the crest of the ridge to 

 feed, but never go more than a few yards into the deep cypress jungle. At the slightest 

 alarm they are up, and shoot back over the ridge down to some inaccessible ledge. 

 Somewhere along these steep slopes they nest. One of the females which was caught 

 began to lay late in April, while the Swinhoe pheasants, which never come up to seven 

 thousand feet, begin to nest in March. Snowline on Mount Arizan is at thirteen 

 thousand feet. 



In appearance, in habitat, and in food, the Mikado Pheasant resembles the 

 tragopans and impeyans, being heavy bodied and rather thick-necked, and if it were not 

 for the long tail would show little resemblance in form to Elliot's pheasant. The notes, 

 too, are like those of the kaleege rather than of Phasiamis. Its note of inquiry, when 

 not especially alarmed, is a rather high wok ! wok I wok ! wok I which is uttered slowly, 

 and gradually becomes lower in tone until it ceases. The note of suspicion and alarm 

 is like the plaintive, muffled notes of the silver pheasant, almost impossible to put into 

 words. Goodfellow says the birds have a very unpheasant-like crow, which is uttered 

 in early morning. When approached in the aviary and hidden behind brush in a corner, 

 the pheasants utter a very serpent-like hiss, loud and startling, like the hiss of a golden 

 pheasant when courting. When the hens are frightened and dash against the netting, 

 a series of loud, nervous cries is drawn forth. 



The feathers of the body, beneath as well as above, are black with very wide 

 terminal bands of iridescent purple. When these are looked at with the light coming 

 from behind the observer, small, central patches of black are brought into prominence by 

 a circle of highly-lighted iridescent purple, the remainder of the plumage appearing dead 

 black. These ornaments stand out like drops of dew or other extraneous objects lying 

 on the plumage, or they remind one of small, dark peacock eyes, raised in high relief on 

 the feathers. The gait is rather slow and stately, again recalling the tragopans instead 

 of the true Phasianus. As long as the birds keep to their present habitat they will not 

 be exterminated, as it is impossible to reach their nests or even to follow them down 

 the cliffs. 



The tgg is pale creamy white, smooth and glossy. In size it is considerably larger, 

 in proportion to the size of the parent, than in related species such as Elliot's and the 

 copper pheasant. The average of several eggs is 50 by 38 mm. 



The period of incubation is twenty-eight days, instead of twenty-four as in nearly 

 related species. Correlated with this the young chicks are correspondingly farther 

 devoloped when hatched, being in general larger and with the flight feathers better 

 developed. This may be concerned directly with the unusual character of the haunts of 

 this pheasant, the need for escape by flight down the steep, precipitous cliffs demanding 

 greater initial development of muscle and wing power than in the other pheasants, who 

 more often squat, or by use of their precocious legs run swiftly away. 



As emphasizing relationship with the Synnaticus ellioti group, Mrs. Johnstone 



