﻿COMMON 
  KOKLASS 
  PHEASANT 
  13 
  

  

  pheasants. 
  The 
  broods 
  of 
  young 
  birds 
  do 
  seem 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  close 
  

   association 
  until 
  early 
  spring, 
  when 
  they 
  separate 
  and 
  pair. 
  

  

  At 
  other 
  than 
  the 
  cold 
  season, 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  Koklass 
  are 
  hardly 
  ever 
  found 
  

   together, 
  while 
  a 
  solitary 
  bird 
  is 
  almost 
  certain 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  unmated 
  bird 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  The 
  voice 
  of 
  this 
  pheasant 
  is 
  very 
  characteristic, 
  and 
  in 
  spring 
  the 
  first 
  morning 
  

   after 
  one 
  pitches 
  camp 
  in 
  some 
  new 
  region, 
  the 
  presence 
  or 
  absence 
  of 
  Koklass 
  is 
  

   indicated 
  by 
  the 
  early 
  morning 
  crow 
  or 
  corresponding 
  silence. 
  In 
  places 
  where 
  there 
  

   has 
  not 
  been 
  much 
  shooting, 
  the 
  voice 
  of 
  the 
  cock 
  is 
  always 
  at 
  hair-trigger 
  poise. 
  

   After 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  a 
  gun, 
  every 
  bird 
  within 
  a 
  half-mile, 
  or 
  anywhere 
  within 
  hearing, 
  

   will 
  instantly 
  crow, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  is 
  true 
  of 
  a 
  clap 
  of 
  thunder. 
  They 
  keep 
  this 
  up 
  with 
  

   great 
  persistence, 
  and 
  after 
  even 
  half-a-dozen 
  peals 
  of 
  thunder, 
  or 
  ten 
  or 
  twelve 
  reports 
  of 
  

   a 
  shot-gun, 
  the 
  crows 
  are 
  as 
  numerous 
  and 
  vigorous 
  as 
  ever. 
  I 
  have 
  heard 
  dozens 
  of 
  

   Koklass 
  crowing, 
  and 
  after 
  many 
  attempts 
  I 
  find 
  that 
  the 
  best 
  translation 
  I 
  can 
  make 
  

   is 
  that 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  already 
  given, 
  Ah 
  I 
  croaak 
  ! 
  croaak-croaak 
  ! 
  crok 
  I 
  the 
  last 
  note 
  

   being 
  uttered 
  very 
  low 
  and 
  apparently 
  with 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  the 
  exhaled 
  breath. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  conifer 
  and 
  oak-covered 
  slopes 
  the 
  Koklass 
  feed 
  slowly 
  upward 
  from 
  the 
  

   water 
  at 
  the 
  bottom, 
  often 
  passing 
  up 
  narrow, 
  deep-sided 
  ravines. 
  At 
  such 
  times 
  the 
  

   birds 
  are 
  almost 
  always 
  in 
  pairs, 
  and 
  the 
  male 
  usually 
  feeds 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  the 
  female. 
  

   When 
  engaged 
  in 
  feeding 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  very 
  quiet, 
  only 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  uttering 
  a 
  low 
  

   cluck 
  or 
  chuckle. 
  

  

  Once 
  at 
  a 
  low 
  elevation 
  I 
  came 
  upon 
  a 
  hen 
  Koklass 
  with 
  her 
  partly 
  grown 
  young, 
  

   while 
  the 
  cock 
  was 
  some 
  hundred 
  feet 
  farther 
  up 
  the 
  slope. 
  The 
  moment 
  my 
  dog 
  

   appeared 
  the 
  male 
  flew 
  into 
  a 
  tree, 
  crying 
  loudly, 
  kit,k 
  ! 
  kuk 
  ! 
  kuk 
  ! 
  kuk 
  ! 
  ko-ka 
  ! 
  

   ko-ka 
  ! 
  ko-ka 
  ! 
  for 
  a 
  minute 
  or 
  two, 
  the 
  utterance 
  then 
  gradually 
  dying 
  away 
  into 
  

   kok 
  I 
  kok 
  ! 
  kok 
  ! 
  ko 
  I 
  ko 
  ! 
  ka 
  ! 
  This 
  was 
  evidently 
  a 
  warning, 
  as 
  the 
  female 
  and 
  

   chicks 
  squatted 
  at 
  once 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  move 
  until 
  the 
  dog 
  blundered 
  upon 
  them. 
  When 
  

   Koklass 
  are 
  flushed 
  suddenly 
  they 
  usually, 
  but 
  not 
  always, 
  give 
  utterance 
  to 
  considerable 
  

   outcry, 
  unlike 
  the 
  kaleege 
  pheasants. 
  The 
  crow 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  has 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  

   quality 
  of 
  tone 
  as 
  the 
  croak 
  of 
  a 
  raven, 
  but 
  the 
  tempo 
  is 
  always 
  the 
  same, 
  the 
  broken 
  

   note, 
  when 
  heard 
  indistinctly 
  a 
  long 
  distance 
  away, 
  recalling 
  the 
  crow 
  of 
  a 
  junglefowl. 
  

  

  Koklass 
  have 
  a 
  slow, 
  dignified 
  gait, 
  dainty 
  and 
  cautious 
  when 
  on 
  their 
  uphill 
  

   feeding 
  journey, 
  more 
  rapid 
  when 
  making 
  their 
  way 
  down 
  to 
  water. 
  When 
  running, 
  

   as 
  they 
  often 
  will 
  from 
  a 
  dog 
  or 
  other 
  danger 
  which 
  they 
  perceive 
  in 
  time, 
  they 
  stretch 
  

   out 
  the 
  neck 
  and 
  tail 
  and 
  make 
  great 
  speed. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  them 
  swerve 
  from 
  their 
  path 
  

   in 
  rather 
  open 
  places 
  to 
  run 
  along 
  behind 
  a 
  fallen 
  log. 
  When 
  they 
  think 
  they 
  can 
  

   escape 
  unseen, 
  both 
  cock 
  and 
  hen 
  will 
  crouch 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  ground, 
  but 
  when 
  the 
  dog 
  is 
  

   near 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  dangerous, 
  they 
  fly 
  up 
  into 
  the 
  tree 
  overhead, 
  either 
  silently 
  or 
  with 
  

   a 
  burst 
  of 
  chuckles. 
  But 
  when 
  a 
  man 
  appears, 
  especially 
  if 
  the 
  region 
  has 
  been 
  shot 
  

   over, 
  they 
  waste 
  no 
  time, 
  but 
  leap 
  to 
  wing 
  at 
  once. 
  They 
  fly 
  downward 
  if 
  possible, 
  

   beating 
  rapidly 
  and 
  dodging 
  skilfully 
  if 
  tree-trunks 
  are 
  numerous. 
  On 
  a 
  long, 
  steep, 
  

   sheer 
  open 
  shute 
  or 
  valley, 
  the 
  Koklass 
  half 
  shuts 
  its 
  wings 
  and 
  literally 
  drops 
  like 
  a 
  

   stone, 
  so 
  rapidly 
  that 
  the 
  eye 
  can 
  scarcely 
  follow. 
  In 
  such 
  a 
  place, 
  they 
  give 
  a 
  few 
  

   whirrs 
  at 
  the 
  start, 
  but 
  after 
  that 
  gravitation 
  is 
  their 
  sole 
  motive 
  power. 
  

  

  The 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  Koklass 
  is 
  varied, 
  but 
  those 
  which 
  I 
  observed 
  seemed 
  to 
  prefer 
  

   insect 
  food 
  to 
  all 
  else 
  and 
  spent 
  much 
  of 
  their 
  time 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  it. 
  But 
  no 
  edible 
  

  

  