64 A MONOGRAPH OF THE PHEASANTS 



cock, and all scratched vigorously where the magpies had been delving. Good-sized 

 black objects were found and beaten vigorously before being swallowed. 



For half an hour this went on, the magpies continuing to bring down objects 

 and bury them ; and the kaleege to dig them up and devour them. Neither species 

 paid any attention to the other. While this was going on, a creamy white, weasel-like 

 animal appeared, winding along below the bank. A bit of earth dislodged by a 

 magpie fell almost on the creature, and it turned and dashed back to shelter. 



In order to solve the problem of the magpies and pheasants I crept nearer, but 

 missed in a try for one of the latter. With the second barrel I secured a magpie 

 which had just started to fly down to the field with one of its treasures in its beak. 

 I ran to the fallen bird and found a partly-crushed cock-chafer, or Jung-bug, lying 

 close to it. In the mouth of the bird was a leg of the beetle, and in its crop eight 

 more of the insects. The magpies had been feasting to repletion on the newly-emerged 

 beetles and then, for reasons best known to themselves, had chosen to work hard at 

 burying all the others they could find. The pheasants had come into the field to 

 scratch for food and, having uncovered several of the newly-buried toothsome morsels 

 in the tracks of the magpies, had seemed to realize that these birds were in some way 

 connected with this manna, and for the last ten minutes hardly had the magpie started 

 back for the bank when one of the pheasants unearthed its cache. 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION 



Except on the extremes of its range, little is known as to the distribution of the 

 Chinese Silver Pheasant. Throughout Fokien it is common except immediately on 

 the coast. There arc definite records for north-west, central and south-east Fokien. 



As to the remaining territory in the eastern and central parts of its range, Robert 

 Swinhoe has given us the only definite information. He says, "It is found in the 

 wooded mountains of the following provinces : Fokien, Canton, Kwangse and 

 Kweichou." This brings us to the Yunnan border, where I have evidence of its 

 occurrence in numbers. It is certainly found in central, and more rarely in western 

 Yunnan, and also in the eastern part of the Southern Shan States. This is fifteen 

 hundred miles to the westward of Fokien. It must occur along the south China coast, 

 for in the Island of Hainan we find a closely related form. Elsewhere we may trace 

 its range by the line of hybrids which have resulted from its crossing with horsfieldi 

 and lineatus. In Yunnan it grades westwardly into darker forms, while in Burma, 

 the Shan States and Annam, we find such scattered hybrids as the so-called rufipes, 

 andersoni and beli, all of which show an unmistakable preponderance of nycthemerus 

 blood. 



GENERAL ACCOUNT 



Like the golden pheasant, the Chinese Silver Kaleege is one of the best known 

 of its group in captivity. The two are still further alike in their isolation in a wild 

 state. While we may purchase a pair of Silvers for a very small sum and be quite 

 certain of rearing numerous young birds to maturity, there is no authentic record of 

 the finding of a nest of the wild birds, and in fact, only the most meagre notes even 

 of distribution. 



