CHINESE IMPEYAN PHEASANT 149 



found in these regions. Both David and Pratt comment on the rarity of this bird, 

 and my experience is in accord with theirs. The King of Chiala detailed hunters 

 specially for the purpose of securing specimens for Zappey, but no birds could be found. 

 I was informed this bird was comparatively common east-north-east of Sungpan Ting, 

 in rocky places between 13,500 and 14,500 feet altitude, but I never met with one in that 

 region. The only specimen that came under my observation was strolling about the 

 margin of rocky scrub immediately above a wood of alpine larch, on the Ta-p'ao shan 

 (between Romi Chango and Tachienlu), altitude 12,000 feet. In this particular locality 

 I was told the Monal was fairly plentiful, but I doubt it. Hunters are ever on the 

 look-out to shoot and trap this bird, and the species is undoubtedly threatened with 

 extinction. 



" The magnificent bird has several local names. Around Tachienlu it is commonly 

 called ' Hwa-t'an-che ' (' Oak Charcoal Chicken '), or ' Hoa-t'an-che ' (' Burning Charcoal 

 Chicken '), both names having reference to the colour of the upper part of the back and 

 neck, which resembles the intense glow of a charcoal fire in full blast. A Thibetan 

 name, which is used around Tachienlu and Sungpan Ting, is ' Koa-loSng.' This name 

 has reference to, and indeed simulates, the call of these birds, which is clear and 

 distinctly quadrisyllabic. This call is usually heard in the early morning, but in wet 

 weather it may be heard at any time of the day. 



" A favourite food of this bird is said to be the bulbs of various species of Fritillaria. 

 The bulbs, known as ' Pei-mu,' are highly valued as medicine by the Chinese, and many 

 men earn their livelihood collecting these and other medicinal herbs in the alpine regions 

 of Western China." 



DETAILED DESCRIPTION 



Adult Male. — Frontal featherlets extended as a narrow line at posterior edge of 

 nostrils, and a roundish patch 7 mm. across below the nostrils, jet black. Most of the 

 face, forehead and broad superciliary line, not bare but covered with short black feather- 

 lets. Crown, lower face and ear-coverts iridescent green, changing to pink. The crest 

 of elongated feathers slightly or not at all constricted midway to the tips, springing from 

 the hinder crown, iridescent, changing from purple to bronze ; the hind and side neck 

 and mantle are rich dark, red gold, changing to a bronze green. Scapulars and wing- 

 coverts variable, and much as in impeyanus ; the upper back and inner coverts purplish 

 blue, with green-shot tips, while the bend of the wing and the lesser coverts are, like the 

 crown, shining green. The fault bars on the green wing-coverts are visible as coppery 

 red bands. 



The white dorsal patch is considerably larger than in impeyanus. It starts close 

 behind the mantle and extends to the tail-coverts, dying out only upon the longest 

 coverts. Rarely it is pure white throughout the greater extent, but the white feathers 

 are very different in character from their iridescent neighbours, in that only a small 

 portion, about 13 mm., of the tip, is solid, all the remainder (about 50 mm.) being 

 decomposed down. Most of the feathers are marked with a little terminal triangle at 

 the tip of the shaft, black where it is in immediate contrast with the white (this visible 

 only with a lens), but becoming at once brilliant purple bronze. Posteriorly this mark 



