4 BLBMEIfTS or OENITHOLOGY. 



One species, named Ocellus hankiva *, has a very wide range 

 namely, from the Himalaya down to the Philippine Islands 

 and Timor. Another species is peculiar to Ceylon, and two 

 or three more are found in different parts of the wide region . 

 inhabited by Qallus hankiva. They all resemble, more or less : 

 nearly, the Q-ame-fowl, and have very similar voices and 

 , habits. 



Hardly less known to most of us than the Fowl is the 

 Pheasant (JPTiasianus eolcMcus), which also is of Asiatic origin, 

 though close to the frontiers of Europe — namely, the basin of 

 the Caspian, the valleys of the Caucasus and Asia Minor. 

 That singular spot — ^the island of Corsica — which has so many 

 species of flowering plants absolutely peculiar to it, is also 

 claimed as a natural home of the Pheasant, which, as an intro- 

 duced resident, ranges all over Europe (even to our Outer 

 Hebrides), except the most northern parts of the Continent and, 

 strange as it may appear, the Iberian peninsula. 



In Central and Southern Asia there are some five-and-thirty 

 species of Pheasant, while none are found wild in any other 

 part of the world. Perhaps the most beautiful of all is Lady 

 Amherst's Pheasant (Thaumdlea amherstice), which has its plu- 

 mage shaped like that of the Gold Pheasant, but is far more 

 delicate and refined in its coloration ; while the Chinese Eeeves's 

 Pheasant (Phasianus reevesii) has by far the longest tail. 



The wonderful Argus Pheasant (Argus ffiganteus) would be 

 remarkable also for its length of tail were not this peculiarity 

 overshadowed by its enormous wings, the feathers of which are 

 decorated with a multitude of beautiful eye-like spots. Its 

 wings are rather for parade than use, as the bird can only fly 

 vsdth them for short cGstances with a heavy flight. It frequents 

 the thickest jungles, and is, therefore, but very rarely seen, even 

 by the natives of the Indo-Malayan region it inhabits. 



The last-named region and the Himalayas produce the 

 beautiful Peacock Pheasants (e. g., Polypleetron bicalcaratum), 

 which have not only the wings, but also the back and tail, covered 

 with lovely eye-like spots. The true Peacocks — of which there 



* In Zoology (and therefore in that branch of it with which we are con- 

 cerned— viz., Ornithology) each kind of creature has a name formed of two 

 words. The first (e. g. Gallus) indicates to which smaller group or " genus " 

 the creature belongs. The second word (e. g. bankiva) denotes which species 

 it is of such genus. This is like the Christian and surname of a man only 

 with the surname standing first, ' 



