BROWN EARED-PHEASANT 



Crossoptilon mantchuricum Swinhoe 



NAMES. — Generic : Crossoptilon, from the Greek xgoaadg fringe, and nxilov down or feather, fringe-feathered, 

 from the condition of the tail feathers. Specific : mantchuricum, from Manchuria, the supposed habitat of the first 

 specimen described. English : Brown or Manchurian Eared-pheasant or Snow Pheasant. French : Faisan Oreillard. 

 German : Mandschurischer Ohrfasan. Vernacular : Chao Chi (horned chicken — Shansi, Chinese), Ho-ky (Chili). 



Brief DESCRIPTION. — Male: Crown feathers short, curly and black; elongated upturned ear-tufts white ; 

 neck black shading into brown on mantle ; lower back and rump dirty white ; breast blackish-brown, remaining 

 under parts lighter ; tail dirty white at base, the tips brownish, glossed with purplish-blue ; a pair of short, stout 

 spurs. Female : Similar, but without spurs. 



TYPE. — " Tsin-tsin." Swinhoe, Prdc. Zool. Soc., 1862, p. 286. 



RANGE. — Extreme north-eastern China. 



THE BIRD IN ITS HAUNTS 



It is difficult to imagine a greater contrast than the haunts of the white-tailed 

 pheasant of Borneo and the home of the Brown Eared-pheasant of north-eastern China. 

 The one is found in the thick, steaming, tropical jungle, with the flash and song of 

 brilliant birds and the never-ceasing hum of insects. Trailing vines and hanging lianas 

 of the forest drape every vista ; the scorching rays of the mid-day sun scarcely penetrate 

 the denser foliage, where fragrant orchids and rich tinted leaves brighten the sombreness 

 of the shadowy glades. 



To turn to the antithesis, we pushed inland from the shore of the Yellow Sea, where 

 we found a vast country, flat as a board. At once we missed the rice fields which, in all 

 our pheasant searching, from Ceylon to Japan, had been so universal a sight whenever 

 all traces of native occupation were left behind. Here the fields were ploughed and 

 already at the end of March planted to millet, barley, and Indian corn. Before we 

 could reach the haunts of the wild creatures we must traverse many miles of native- 

 ridden country. The only trees in view were sparse, spindling saplings in rows, pitifully 

 trimmed for fuel to the last possible twiglet compatible with life. 'Dobe houses brought 

 Mexico vividly to mind, and houses, trees, burros, land, even the water, were all mono- 

 chrome — dirt, mud or dust colour, and when the cold wind blew, the very air as well 

 partook of this hue. 



Although we realized that hordes of human beings were somewhere concealed within 

 the horizontal circle, seldom did we see more than one or two Chinese at a time. Now 

 and then a wheelbarrow with a small tattered sail meandered slowly along the distant 

 levels. No roads were visible anywhere. The rare travellers, like ourselves, seemed to 

 pick their away along the narrow boundaries of the fields. No fences, no high weeds 

 or dead grass ; only ploughed barrenness everywhere, with here and there a faint 



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