The Argus Pheasant 119 



of the Malay Peninsula, Siam, and Southern Tenasserim, as 

 well as the island of Sumatra, but in Borneo a smaller 

 species (A. grayi)) lives, and in Tonquin a different kind is 

 found, belonging to another genus, Rcinhardiiis, which has 

 not the secondary quills developed to such an extent as in 

 the common species. The Argus Pheasant of the Malay 

 countries is one of the most splendid birds in existence, 

 and, like its namesake, has indeed a " hundred eyes." The 

 whole of the outer web of the secondaries, which are more- 

 over of enormous size, is decorated with circular spots of 

 white, yellow, and rufous, surrounded by a ring of black, and 

 it is from these eye-like spots that the bird gets its name. 

 In captivity the Argus often displays his wonderful 

 plumage, much as the Peacock exhibits his train for the 

 admiration of the female, by throwing up his wing and 

 bringing it forward towards the ground, so as to display all 

 the series of spots on the secondaries. The late Mr. William 

 Davison, who explored Tenasserim for years in pursuit of 

 natural history specimens for the great Hume Collection, 

 has given the best and indeed the only account of the habits 

 of the Argus Pheasant with which I am acquainted. One 

 peculiarity about the bird's life is that the males and 

 females live apart, and the latter appear to have no fixed 

 residence, but wander about the forest, only occasionally 

 visiting the male bird in his "drawing-room," as Mr. 

 Davison calls the playing-ground. The hen bird, he was 

 told, builds a rude nest in some dense cane-brake, and lays 

 seven or eight eggs like those of a domestic Turkey, hatch- 

 ing them out and bringing up the nestlings without any 

 assistance from the male bird. The latter in fact appears 

 to be almost wholl)^ devoted to the keeping of the drawing- 

 room in order, and is by no means of a quarrelsome dis- 

 position. In some parts of Tenasserim the Argus Pheasant 

 is quite a common bird, and many males are found in- 

 habiting the same forest district. II a gun be fired, every 



