88 A MONOGRAPH OF THE PHEASANTS 



Pere David tells us that nowhere is it a common bird. " It lives alone on wooded 

 mountains, and rarely leaves the underbush, where it feeds on seeds, fruits and leaves. 

 Its very loud cry is most easily rendered by the syllable oua, twice repeated ; it is from 

 this that it receives its name of Oua-oua-ky. It is a very fine game bird, the more so 

 because it is rare and not easily captured by snares or wires." 



" Call : a single high note, not unlike a cat's mew." — Scott. 



"A ground species, hiding in the jungle under the pine trees. It is not known to 

 occur under 10,000 feet above the sea." — Seebohm. 



The late W. R. Tappey found the bird in the mountains of Szechuan between three 

 and nine thousand feet elevation, in heavy hardwood forest with a dense undergrowth of 

 scrub bamboo. In winter they feed on frozen fruits and berries. While feeding they 

 often utter a low clucking sound. Wilson, writing of the same general region, gives 

 the following notes : " This strikingly handsome bird is fairly common in parts of 

 western Hupeh and western Szechuan between 4000 and 9000 feet altitude, frequenting 

 woods and shrub-clad country. It prefers steep mountain-slopes, covered with 

 arborescent vegetation, and in summer, when the foliage is on the trees, is most 

 difficult to find. In winter it may occasionally be surprised, early in the morning and 

 evening, near the margins of cultivation and close to thick cover. Like all the woodland 

 pheasants these birds will only take wing when hard pressed and usually afford only a 

 chance snapshot. A heavy bird, the Tragopan flies at almost the speed of an ordinary 

 pheasant, and always makes straight for dense brush or timber. The Chinese entrap 

 them alive in the same way as they do the Golden and Amherst Pheasants. They are 

 esteemed highly as pets and they sell for 3 to 5 ounces of silver each — a high price in 

 these • regions. The markings on the wattle are supposed to resemble the Chinese 

 character for longevity, hence the common name, 'T'so-che.' They are regarded as 

 birds of good omen, bringing good-luck and long life to their fortunate owners. Every 

 year numbers are brought down to Ichang for sale, where they find ready purchasers. 

 In the mountains they apparently adapt themselves to captivity, but in the Yangtze 

 Valley proper the climate is too hot for them. 



"The short tail and heavy body make the birds appear heavy in flight, and shooting 

 them would be moderately easy did one but get fair chances. The Tragopan is a good 

 table bird, but to shoot them for this purpose alone would be gross vandalism. They 

 feed on grain and berries, and are especially fond of the fruits of Cotoneaster and allied 

 shrubs and of maize. South of Ichang this bird is much rarer than in the mountains 

 north-west of this town and in western Szechuan." 



Although I saw two, or possibly three, live cock Tragopans in Yunnan (see under 

 General Distribution, page 87), I can add little of interest concerning them. Two of the 

 birds I watched for a full minute at some distance, one perched upon a low, dead limb, 

 the other preening its feathers close by on the ground. I tried to stalk them, but when 

 I had crept carefully some distance up a narrow gully, only one was to be seen. The 

 vegetation was sparse, and I could see for ten or fifteen yards in all directions, so the 

 bird must have gone clear away during my approach. From my vantage point behind 

 a boulder at the rim of the gully I watched the perching bird and saw it stand up full 

 height and leisurely stretch each wing and leg, pushing the toes straight out through 

 the extended outer primaries in the familiar gallinaceous manner. It gave two quick, 



