64 A MONOGRAPH OF THE PHEASANTS 
cock, and all scratched vigorously where the magpies had been delving. Good-sized 
black objects were found and beaten vigorously before being swallowed. 
For half an hour this went on, the magpies continuing to bring down objects 
and bury them; and the kaleege to dig them up and devour them. Neither species 
paid any attention to the other. While this was going on, a creamy white, weasel-like 
animal appeared, winding along below the bank. A bit of earth dislodged by a 
magpie fell almost on the creature, and it turned and dashed back to shelter. 
In order to solve the problem of the magpies and pheasants I crept nearer, but 
missed in a try for one of the latter. With the second barrel I secured a magpie 
which had just started to fly down to the field with one of its treasures in its beak. 
I ran to the fallen bird and found a partly-crushed cock-chafer, or Jung-bug, lying 
close to it. In the mouth of the bird was a leg of the beetle, and in its crop eight 
more of the insects. The magpies had been feasting to repletion on the newly-emerged 
beetles and then, for reasons best known to themselves, had chosen to work hard at 
burying all the others they could find. The pheasants had come into the field to 
scratch for food and, having uncovered several of the newly-buried toothsome morsels 
in the tracks of the magpies, had seemed to realize that these birds were in some way 
connected with this manna, and for the last ten minutes hardly had the magpie started 
back for the bank when one of the pheasants unearthed its cache. 
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION 
Except on the extremes of its range, little is known as to the distribution of the 
Chinese Silver Pheasant. Throughout Fokien it is common except immediately on 
the coast. There are definite records for north-west, central and south-east Fokien. 
As to the remaining territory in the eastern and central parts of its range, Robert 
Swinhoe has given us the only definite information. He says, “It is found in the 
wooded mountains of the following provinces: Fokien, Canton, Kwangse and 
Kweichou.” This brings us to the Yunnan border, -where I have evidence of its 
occurrence in numbers. It is certainly found in central, and more rarely in western 
Yunnan, and also in the eastern part of the Southern Shan States. This is fifteen 
hundred miles to the westward of Fokien. It must occur along the south China coast, 
for in the Island of Hainan we find a closely related form. Elsewhere we may trace 
its range by the line of hybrids which have resulted from its crossing with horsjieldi 
and /ézeafus. In Yunnan it grades westwardly into darker forms, while in Burma, 
the Shan States and Annam, we find such scattered hybrids as the so-called vujifes, 
andersont and bel, all of which show an unmistakable preponderance of xycthemerus 
blood. 
GENERAL ACCOUNT 
Like the golden pheasant, the Chinese Silver Kaleege is one of the best known 
of its group in captivity. The two are still further alike in their isolation in a wild 
state. While we may purchase a pair of Silvers for a very small sum and be quite 
certain of rearing numerous young birds to maturity, there is no authentic record of 
the finding of a nest of the wild birds, and in fact, only the most meagre notes even 
of distribution. 
