214 PHEASANTS FOR COVERTS AND AVIARIES. 



and lie very close in tlr; liiUs diiriny' the day, witlidiit being- 

 under tlie necessity of wamleriuy in searcli of tuod. 



"'The note of one or the other of these species of 

 pheasants \va,s heai-il frequently. On the top of a. precipitous 

 hill, about a mile south lif Simoda, covered by small pines and 

 a very tliick growth of shrubbery, a pheasant (so we Avere 

 assured b^* the Japanese) passed the weary houi's while liis 

 mate was on hei' nest, and very sensiblv sfdaced himself and 

 her with such music a,s he was ca]iaJ)lo of making. It was, 

 however, anvthmg but melodious, ami may be I'l.'preseuted a-- 

 a sort of comj)ound of th(.' hling of a saw and the screech of a 

 peacock. Tliere are two notes only, uttered in (piick succes- 

 sion, and rt'presented by the Ja])ajiese name of the bird — 

 Ki-ji ; but the second note is much longer, louder, and m(jre 

 discordant, in fact ha.^ more of the sav-filing (diaracter — 

 Ker-jtierir. These two n(ites are uttered, and if the Ijird is 

 not disturljcd they ai'e i-epeated in about live minutes. A 

 good many attempts, ])erhaps twenty, to become better 

 acquainted with this individual all failed. It seemed impossible 

 to make him fly, though his covert was b}- no means 

 extensive.' " 



Tins species is readdy distinguished by the widelv 

 separated transverse bamls on the tail of the m.'ile, and the 

 short, rounded tail of tlie femah' (Sin. in lengrh, that of the 

 male being 2oin.), tlie fea.thers of which are tijijicd with white 

 at the e-xtremity. ^Ve are not aware of anA- hybia'ds Ijctween 

 this and allied species, althougdi their producti(jn would 

 be very interesting as bearing on a suggestion made by 

 Darwin to the effect that "if the female Scemmerring 

 pheasant with her short tail were crossed with the male 

 common pheasant, there couhl be no doulit that the male 

 hybrid offspring wotdd have a much longer tail than tliat of 

 the pure offspring of the common ])heasaut. On the other 

 hand, if the female conimon pheasant, with her tail nearly 

 twice as long as that of the female Siommerring pheasant, 

 were crossed with the male of the latter, the male hybrid 



