610 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



Rasores. nary condition, is intermediate, in respect to size, between 

 k -"~N"~"- / these two species; idly, the nature of the plumage, which 

 in its form, consistence, and distribution, is absolutely the 

 same as in the common cock, greatly strengthens the sup- 

 position ; ithly, it is in these species alone that we find the 

 females, as well as males, provided with a fleshy crest and 

 small wattles, — characters which likewise distinguish both 

 sexes of our common poultry, although they are for the 

 most part but slightly developed in the females. Now the 

 female jungle-cock possesses neither comb nor wattles. 



It maybe stated as a curious though well-known fact, that 

 when Captain Cook first visited the South Sea Islands, he 

 found them well stocked with domestic poultry ; and the 

 more recent as well as more ample narratives of the mission- 

 aries have confirmed the statements of the great navigator re- 

 garding the practice of cock-fighting in Otaheite, and other 

 islands of Polynesia. Mr Ellis describes the Faa-ti-to-raa- 

 moa, or literally the causing fighting among fowls, as the 

 most ancient game of the Tahitians; and he informs us, that 

 according to the tradition of the natives, poultry have ex- 

 isted in the islands as long as people, — that they either 

 came with the first colonists, or were produced by Taaroa 

 contemporaneously with men. Long before the first fo- 

 reign vessel was seen off their shores, they were in the 

 practice of training and fighting cocks. However, they 

 never trimmed, as we do, their flowing plumes, but were 

 proud to see the beautiful and gorgeous combatants with 

 ample natural wings, full-feathered necks, and lengthened 

 tails. We may observe, that the breed of these islands do 

 not appear to have been what in this country we would 

 denominate game ; for Mr Ellis (in his Polynesian Re- 

 searches) incidentally mentions, that as soon as one bird 

 avoided another, he was considered as vi, or beaten, and 

 victory was declared in favour of his opponent. It is in- 

 deed a singular circumstance that this barbarous practice 

 should have pervaded so many unconnected nations, both 

 savage and civilized. It has entirely ceased among the in- 

 habitants of the Friendly and Society Islands since the 

 establishment of Christianity, although still pursued by the 

 practical heathen of other and more ancient Christian lands. 

 We ourselves, to our shame be it spoken, once fought a 

 main of cocks with an English clergyman, who has since 

 held a high and conspicuous station in the church. We 

 believe, indeed, that he is now a bishop, — haply forgetful of 

 us and of our famous Faati-to-raa-moa. 



In the genus Phasianus properly so called, the sides 

 of the head around the eyes are covered for a space by a 

 naked warty skin. The tail is very long and slender, each 

 feather laterally inclined or roof-shaped, and the central 

 pair usually much prolonged. The common pheasant of 

 our coverts (Ph. colchicus) is the most familiar example. 

 This bird is now well known in most of the temperate parts 

 of Europe, though originally introduced from the banks of 

 the Phasis (now the Rioni), a river of Chalcis in Asia 

 Minor. Need we describe his glowing bright attire? 

 Splendid his form, his eyes of flaming gold 

 Two fiery rings of living scarlet hold ; 

 His arching neck a varying beauty shows, 

 Now rich with azure, now with emerald glows. 

 His swelling breast with glossy purple shines, 

 Chesnut his back, and waved with ebon lines ; 

 To his broad wings gay hues their radiance lend, 

 His mail-clad legs two knightly spurs defend. 



The variety called the ring-pheasant (Ph. torquatus), cha- 

 racterized by a more or less completed circle of white 

 around the lower portion of the neck, is by some regarded 

 as a distinct species. The gold and silver pheasants of our 

 aviaries (Ph. pictus and nycthemerus), and several other 

 still more magnificent birds, on the beauty of which we 

 regret we cannot here dilate, pertain to our present genus. 



One of the most singularly superb of all the gallinace- 

 ous order, we mean the argus pheasant, now forms a se- % 

 parate genus under the name of Argus. Of this rare and 

 remarkable bird (A. giganteus, Temm.) China and the ad- 

 joining provinces of Tartary have been assigned as the na- 

 tive country by various writers. This, however, requires 

 confirmation, as all the specimens of which the origin is 

 accurately known have been brought from the great east- 

 ern islands and peninsula of Malacca. There is a passage 

 in Marco Polo's Travels, which may perhaps be construed 

 as relating to the bird in question. In his description of 

 the kingdom of Erginal (a district of Tangout, in the north- 

 west of the empire), he observes, " pheasants are found in 

 it that are twice the size of ours, but something smaller 

 than the peacock. The tail-feathers are eight or ten palms 

 in length." " This," observes Mr Marsden, the learned edi- 

 tor of the English edition, " is probably the Argus phea- 

 sant, which although a native of Sumatra (where I have 

 frequently seen it alive), is said to be also found in the 

 northern part of China." 1 Though of late years well 

 known in the Basses-cours of Batavia. (from which M. Tem- 

 minck received a splendid series), we are not aware that 

 the Argus has been ever imported alive into Europe It 

 would certainly prove a more magnificent addition than 

 any which has been made to our aviaries in modern times. 

 The great apparent size of this bird arises chiefly from the 

 peculiar formation of the wings, of which the secondaries 

 are three times the length of the primaries, being nearly 

 three feet long. In consequence of the unwieldy extent 

 of that portion of the wing which is not under the imme- 

 diate influence of muscular action, this magnificent bird is 

 alleged to be almost destitute of the power of flight. Its 

 progress, however, when running on the ground, is greatly 

 accelerated, — the expanded secondaries, according to M. 

 Temminck, acting as powerful and capacious sails, and 

 furnishing a very fleet and effectual mode of transporta- 

 tion. The body, when stripped of the feathers, scarcely 

 exceeds thatof a barn-door fowl, but in its " high andplumy 

 state" it measures in total length about five feet three 

 inches, — the tail-feathers being themselves nearly four feet 

 long. The female is, as usual, less adorned. Her second- 

 aries want the peculiar breadth and extension, as well as 

 the beautiful eye-like markings which adorn the male. In 

 consequence, however, of this homely appearance, she is 

 less frequently sought for in her native forests, and is thus 

 (in collections) by far the rarer of the two. M. Temminck, 

 for example, thought himself fortunate in finding a brace 

 of females among thirty males. 



In the genus Euplocomus, Temm., the head is crested, 

 the tail much broader than in the true pheasants, and some- 

 times forked. The beautiful Macartney cock, or fire-back- 

 ed pheasant (Eu. ignitus), is the most characteristic, if not 

 the sole example. It was met with by Sir George Staun- 

 ton in a menagerie at Batavia, and is believed to be a na- 

 tive of Sumatra. 2 



The horned pheasant of Edwards and Latham has been 

 made by Cuvier to constitute the genus Tragopan. The 

 head, though crested, is elsewhere almost naked ; a little 

 slender horn projects backward from behind each eye, and 

 a loose and pendent skin, inflatable at pleasure, hangs from 

 the base of the lower mandible (see Plate CCCXCVIII. 

 fig. 4). The group now consists of about four species, all 

 remarkable for their richly varied and beautifully spotted 

 plumage. They are bulkier birds than pheasants, with 

 rounded tails of ordinary length. The females of such as 

 are known are brindled with brown and black. We have 

 yet learned nothing of the habits or natural economy of the 

 Tragopans, although their external aspect has been render- 

 ed familiar in elegant representations by Mr Gould. 3 The 



Rasores. 



Travels, pp. 225-9. 



1 Embassy to China, pi. xiii. 



3 Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains. 



