WHITE-TAILED WATTLED PHEASANT 149 



how similar had been the first glimpse I had had of the Bornean crested firebacks — 

 feeding along a gravelly rivulet in a family group. Apart from the wonderful 

 opportunity thus offered, I was delighted with the picturesqueness ; the deep, dark 

 gorge, with the green tangle up-stream opening into the clear space between the 

 rocky walls. Begonias dotted the rocks, a tiny pale blue blossom covered much of 

 the banks, and through this wild glade to see the tiny, graceful deer picking their 

 way, and the trim, wary birds in absolute freedom, wholly unconscious of being 

 watched, was a sight never to be forgotten. 



It was all the more a remarkable sight (although later I was to have even more 

 intimate views of this pheasant) when we read of the experiences of other observers 

 in these jungles. Finsch says, " Bei der Undurchdringlichkeit des Dschungel ist 

 es z. B. unmoglich die hier lebenden prachtvollen Wildhuhner [Argus, Lobiophasis 

 und Lophurd) zu schiessen, deren Stimme man wol hort, die man aber fast nie 

 zu Gesicht bekommt." 



So absorbed was I in not losing a movement, that I did not notice that the day 

 was passing, and suddenly a terrific clap of thunder crashed overhead. The storm 

 was going around, however, the black masses of cloud just visible through the trees 

 piling one over the other. The dimness of twilight fell, but soon the wonderful 

 Bornean afterglow changed the clouds to greyish pink and filled the whole glade 

 with the rich rosy hue. I knew how fleeting was this last light of day, and as the 

 pheasants had vanished, I dropped from my cave and made my way back to camp 

 as quickly as possible, reaching my hammock just as darkness fell. I watched 

 carefully, but caught not a glimpse either of deer or pheasants. 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION 



The oft-quoted geographically and grammatically ambiguous statement that the 

 White-tailed Pheasant is "only found on the mountains" is untrue. There is no 

 doubt but that it does range upward on the lower slopes, and has been recorded from 

 Kalulong, Mulu, Dulit and other mountains, although I know of no record of over 

 twenty-two hundred feet elevation. On the other hand, it is not uncommon in low, 

 rolling forest country in Sarawak, many miles from any mountain or range of mountains. 

 Indeed, the natives of the lower zones are much more familiar with the Blaiou, as they 

 call it, than many of the tribes from nearer the central ranges. It is extremely local 

 in distribution, a fact for which I could discover no explanation, and in passing down 

 a stream, bordered with homogeneous forest, the bird would be well known to the 

 natives of one section and wholly unknown to the next few tribes, although all were 

 skilful trappers and acquainted with all the edible pheasants and similar birds in their 

 neighbourhood. I could find no reason for the assertion that these birds dwell always 

 '*far from water." On the contrary, during the dry season I found them invariably 

 frequenting the water - courses, usually the larger streams and rivers, while at the 

 beginning of the rainy season, they, together with most other jungle animal life, came 

 less often to the river banks, finding, I suppose, sufficient moisture for their needs in 

 temporary jungle pools. 



In British North Borneo White-tailed Pheasants are not uncommon along the 



