MALAY ARGUS PHEASANT 117 



in his wonderful arena, braving the dangers which such a summons must draw toward 

 him, risking all for the sake of a mate. 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION 



The Malayan Argus Pheasant is not uncommon throughout the Malay Peninsula 

 from southern Tenasserim and Siam to south Johore. It is entirely absent from the 

 swampy littoral zone and from the higher mountains. It is not found on the islands of 

 Singapore and Penang, but is numerous on Pangkoo in the Bindings. 



In Sumatra it has been recorded from the eastern side of the island, nearest the 

 Malay Peninsula, and I know of its occurrence in the extreme southern tip of the 

 island, where, although the country is low, with considerable wet land, these birds could 

 be heard calling every night. 



GENERAL ACCOUNT 



Few white men have either shot or seen the Argus Pheasant in its wild home, 

 because there has been no deliberate attempt to circumvent the birds, or to adapt one's 

 approach to their peculiarities of life habits. I was very anxious to make as thorough 

 a study as possible of these marvellous creatures, and at first I was pessimistic, being 

 told that I should be able to get no farther than hearing the birds. My studies were 

 made chiefly in Sarawak with the Bornean Argus. Almost without exception, however, 

 the habits of the two are identical, and a composite of my observations on both species 

 will rightly represent the respective habits of either one. 



Many of the habits and a considerable portion of the life history of the Argus 

 Pheasant are affected by its remarkable practice of creating a special dancing-place in 

 the jungle, a cleared arena where it may display before the females. This I shall 

 describe later on ; here I mention it merely to show the influence which such a 

 localization has upon its life in general. 



Most pheasants have a favourite roost to which they resort night after night, and 

 many show preference for special feeding-grounds, where they may be found by day. 

 But the Argus, during the long season of courtship, is localized in the unusual way 

 I have mentioned. Thus for many months in the year we may state with certainty that 

 its home range is extremely restricted, and any given male will probably wander but a 

 short distance from its dancing-ground. 



Its favourite haunts are steep and dry hillsides, ranging from five hundred to three 

 thousand feet elevation, and in the central Malay States at least a preference is shown 

 for slopes clothed with such stemless palms as the bertam, Eugeissonia tristis. The 

 dancing-grounds of the Argus have been found as high as five thousand feet near the 

 head-waters of the Perak River, but this is far above their usual life zone. We know that 

 these pheasants show a decided partiality for certain kinds of fruits, but whether this 

 ever results in the birds making any extended journeys in search of such food we do not 

 know. They certainly undergo no migration for climatic causes, but during the moulting 

 season it appears that they do take to deeper, less open jungle. We may judge that this 

 is the case from the fact that few or none are trapped by the natives at this season, in 

 the very places where during other months they are constantly heard calling and are 

 occasionally captured. 



