CERIORNIS SATYRA. 



Nepaulese Horned Pheasant. 



Meleagris Satyra, Linn. Syst. Nat., torn. i. p. 269.— Lath. Ind. Ora. vol. ii. p. 619. 

 Penelope Satyra, Gmel. edit. Linn. Syst. Nat., torn. i. p. 733. 

 Phasianus Bengalensis cornutus, Briss. Orn., vol. vi. Suppl. p. 14. 



Satyrus, Temm. Hist. Nat. des Pig. et Gall., torn. ii. p. 349, et torn. iii. p. 672.— Vieill. Gal. des Ois., 



torn. ii. p. 23, pi. 206. 



Horned Pheasant, Edw. Nat. Hist, of Birds, p. and pi. 116.— Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. viii. p. 208. 



Turkey, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. iv. p. 680 ; Suppl. p. 203. 



Tragopan Satyra, Cuv. Regn. Anim., edit. 1829, torn. i. p. 479. 



. Satyrus, Vig. in Proc. of Comm. of Sci. and Corr. of Zool. Soc., part i. (1830) pp. 122, 173.— Gould, 



Cent, of Birds, pi. 62. 



Satyrus, Temm. PL Col. 543, 544. 



Lathami, Reich. Syst. Av., p. xxix. 



Satyra Lathami, Gray in Hardw. Ind. Zool., pi. 51. 

 Pennantii, Gray ibid., pi. 49. 



cornuta, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 1848, p. 78. 



Ceriornis satyra,'Gray, List of Spec, and Draw, of Mamm. and Birds pr. to Brit. Mus. by B. H. Hodgson, Esq., 



p. 125.— Blyth, Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 240— Jerd. Birds of Ind., vol. ii. pt. 11. 



p. 516.— Gray, List of Spec, of Birds in Coll. Brit. Mus., part. v. Gallinse, p. 40. 



Lathami, G. R. Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. iii. p. 499, Ceriornis, sp. 1. 



Tirriak-pho of the Lepchas. Bup of the Bhoteas. Dafia of the Bengalese. 



The Ceriornis Satyra, the oldest known member of the genus, is another of the splendid productions of the 

 southern slopes of the Himalayas, inhabiting, as it does, Nepaul, Sikhim, and Bhotan, while its near ally, 

 C. melanocephala, frequents the country extending from the neighbourhood of Simla to Afghanistan. We 

 have no knowledge of the vast hilly region eastward of Sikhim ; but I think it likely that the present bird 

 may extend its range in that direction until it inosculates with the Chinese C. Temmincki and C. Caboti. 

 All the species of the genus appear to inhabit the temperate regions of the ranges in which they respectively 

 dwell, mostly at an elevation of from 6000 to 10,000 feet, sometimes ascending to the line of perpetual 

 congelation, but never descending to the hot forests at the base of the hills. As the present bird is an 

 inhabitant of a climate not very different from our own, it was supposed that it could be naturalized in this 

 country; and the apparent success of the earlier experiments seemed to justify such a conclusion; but 

 I believe that all these attempts will end in futility. At first, like many other eastern birds, they appear 

 to enjoy the change, and breed freely; a second year shows a great falling off; and the third generally 

 terminates their existence. As a bird for the aviary no one can be more beautiful and interesting ; it is, 

 indeed, a pleasure to look upon its rich colouring during the short time it will live with us, and more than 

 interesting to witness the display made by the male, when desirous of attracting the notice of the female, 

 on the approach of the breeding-season ; now it is that we see during the momentary expansion of the 

 quivering wattles a display of colour unequalled for the beauty and depth of its tints ; as, however, the proud 

 male only now and then lowers the wattles to the extent shown in the smaller figure of the accompanying 

 Plate, it becomes necessary to pay repeated visits to the aviary, or the opportunity of witnessing it will be 

 lost. As is the case with the other members of the genus, much diversity occurs in the colouring of the 

 sexes. With these few somewhat general remarks, I now proceed to transcribe with acknowledgment, the 

 accounts given of this bird by my contemporaries : — 



"This species," says Mr. Jerdon," appears to be very abundant in Nepal, and is not rare in Sikhim at 

 considerable elevations. I have seen it at about 9000 feet in spring : in winter it descends to between 7000 

 and 8000 feet in the vicinity of Darjeeling, and perhaps lower in the interior. It is frequently snared by 

 the Bhoteeas and other hill-men, and brought alive for sale to Darjeeling. Its call in spring is a low, deep, 

 bellowing cry, sounding like waa-ung, waa-ung." 



" During a two years' residence at Darjeeling, in the Sikhim Himalaya," says Captain Beavan, " I had 

 many opportunities of observing the habits of the birds called Ceriornis satyra, both in their native wilds 

 and in captivity, and have often been after them gun in hand, attended by a single trusty Nepaul shikaree, 

 i.e. sportsman. I have usually found them on the steep forest-clad slopes of the mountains, at an elevation 

 of from 6000 to 9000 feet above the sea. They generally prefer the neighbourhood of water, but are, as 

 far as my experience goes, always found amongst the densest underwood, and where the greatest- part of 

 the vegetation consists of oak, magnolia, ilex, and the other trees of that zone. They are seldom seen 



