﻿COMMON 
  KOKLASS 
  PHEASANT 
  19 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  distance 
  we 
  hear 
  the 
  tap, 
  tap 
  of 
  the 
  woodman's 
  axe, 
  and 
  soon 
  a 
  mighty 
  crash 
  

   denotes 
  that 
  some 
  stately 
  Paluda 
  will 
  no 
  longer 
  grace 
  these 
  mighty 
  forests 
  ; 
  but, 
  what 
  is 
  

   of 
  more 
  immediate 
  interest, 
  following 
  on 
  the 
  crash 
  there 
  rings 
  out 
  the 
  cry 
  of 
  several 
  male 
  

   Koklass 
  far 
  down 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  below. 
  The 
  cry 
  is 
  far 
  different 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  found 
  

   in 
  English 
  coverts. 
  All 
  the 
  same, 
  they 
  respond 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  stimulus 
  as 
  their 
  distant 
  

   cousins 
  in 
  their 
  western 
  home 
  ; 
  for 
  who 
  has 
  not 
  heard 
  the 
  cock 
  pheasants 
  in 
  a 
  home 
  

   covert 
  set 
  crowing 
  by 
  a 
  sudden 
  noise, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  first 
  clap 
  of 
  thunder 
  of 
  a 
  storm 
  ? 
  

  

  " 
  This 
  determines 
  our 
  way, 
  so 
  down 
  we 
  start 
  until 
  we 
  come 
  to 
  a 
  path 
  my 
  man 
  knows 
  

   of. 
  The 
  spaniel 
  is 
  encouraged 
  to 
  range 
  chiefly 
  above 
  the 
  path, 
  as 
  if 
  she 
  flushes 
  any 
  

   birds 
  below 
  they 
  will 
  most 
  certainly 
  escape 
  unshot 
  at. 
  We 
  work 
  along 
  round 
  the 
  valley, 
  

   but 
  although 
  we 
  know 
  there 
  must 
  be 
  birds 
  somewhere, 
  the 
  little 
  lady 
  cannot 
  find 
  a 
  scrap 
  

   of 
  scent 
  until 
  after 
  a 
  long 
  search. 
  On 
  rounding 
  a 
  bend, 
  she 
  suddenly 
  makes 
  upwards, 
  

   and 
  I 
  lose 
  sight 
  of 
  her. 
  A 
  long 
  wait, 
  and 
  then 
  a 
  distant 
  yap 
  ; 
  a 
  minute 
  later 
  and 
  a 
  dark 
  

   form 
  is 
  seen 
  gliding 
  downwards 
  between 
  the 
  trees 
  and 
  curving 
  away 
  towards 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  

   the 
  nullah. 
  I 
  fire 
  as 
  he 
  comes, 
  but 
  the 
  intervening 
  branches 
  are 
  the 
  only 
  things 
  at 
  all 
  

   injured, 
  so 
  I 
  swing 
  well 
  ahead 
  and 
  fire 
  again, 
  but 
  only 
  realize 
  as 
  I 
  press 
  the 
  trigger 
  that 
  

   the 
  bird 
  is 
  putting 
  on 
  the 
  brake 
  hard, 
  with 
  the 
  intention 
  of 
  alighting 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   nullah. 
  Down 
  rushes 
  the 
  spaniel, 
  panting 
  and 
  exhausted. 
  I 
  show 
  her 
  a 
  pool 
  of 
  water, 
  in 
  

   which 
  she 
  wallows 
  for 
  a 
  moment 
  and 
  then 
  jumps 
  out 
  refreshed 
  and 
  ready 
  for 
  anything, 
  

   so 
  I 
  put 
  her 
  on 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  I 
  last 
  saw 
  the 
  pheasant, 
  and 
  without 
  hesitation 
  she 
  

   dashes 
  up 
  and 
  over 
  a 
  ridge 
  dividing 
  this 
  from 
  the 
  next 
  small 
  nullah. 
  I 
  follow 
  round 
  

   below 
  her 
  hastily 
  ; 
  three, 
  four, 
  five 
  minutes 
  pass, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  visions 
  of 
  her 
  lying 
  beside 
  

   a 
  dead 
  pheasant 
  that 
  she 
  is 
  too 
  exhausted 
  to 
  carry 
  ; 
  but 
  not 
  so 
  ; 
  she 
  again 
  gives 
  tongue, 
  

   and 
  again 
  the 
  wily 
  old 
  bird 
  dashes 
  down. 
  I 
  swing 
  on 
  to 
  him, 
  and 
  continuing 
  the 
  swing, 
  

   catch 
  him 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  space 
  between 
  two 
  trees, 
  although 
  at 
  the 
  moment 
  of 
  pulling 
  the 
  

   trigger 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  see 
  him. 
  What 
  a 
  handsome 
  bird 
  and 
  what 
  spurs 
  ! 
  Even 
  a 
  game 
  

   cock 
  might 
  have 
  envied 
  them. 
  

  

  " 
  On 
  retracing 
  our 
  steps 
  (this 
  bird 
  had 
  gone 
  back) 
  I 
  notice 
  the 
  rotting 
  trunk 
  of 
  a 
  tree 
  

   with 
  small 
  pieces 
  of 
  rotted 
  wood 
  scattered 
  underneath 
  it. 
  I 
  pause 
  to 
  examine 
  it, 
  and 
  the 
  

   hillman 
  says 
  that 
  is 
  what 
  the 
  pheasant 
  was 
  feeding 
  on, 
  and 
  went 
  further 
  to 
  explain 
  that 
  

   large 
  insects 
  bore 
  holes 
  in 
  the 
  rotten 
  wood, 
  and 
  the 
  pheasants 
  dig 
  them 
  out 
  and 
  eat 
  them. 
  

   A 
  further 
  walk 
  along 
  the 
  path 
  and 
  a 
  stiff 
  climb 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  ridge 
  and 
  another 
  cock 
  pheasant 
  

   is 
  added 
  to 
  our 
  bag, 
  and 
  yet 
  another 
  got 
  away 
  unshot 
  at 
  ; 
  there 
  did 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  

   anything 
  but 
  solitary 
  old 
  cocks 
  here. 
  

  

  " 
  Now 
  for 
  some 
  light 
  refreshment 
  and 
  a 
  rest 
  for 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  hours 
  in 
  the 
  shade, 
  then 
  

   I 
  wake 
  my 
  slumbering 
  companion, 
  and 
  we 
  proceed, 
  plunging 
  downwards 
  through 
  the 
  

   jungle, 
  reaching 
  a 
  well-worn 
  path 
  after 
  an 
  hour's 
  tramp." 
  

  

  DETAILED 
  DESCRIPTION 
  

  

  Adult 
  Male. 
  — 
  Mid-crown 
  ashy 
  brown, 
  becoming 
  buff 
  on 
  the 
  rear 
  crown 
  where 
  

   the 
  feathers 
  are 
  elongated 
  in 
  a 
  rather 
  stiff, 
  long 
  and 
  slender 
  crest. 
  Immediately 
  behind 
  

   these 
  sprouts 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  still 
  longer, 
  narrow, 
  black 
  feathers, 
  glossed 
  with 
  shiny 
  green, 
  

   which 
  form 
  the 
  posterior 
  and 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  crest. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  plumes 
  are 
  

   100 
  mm. 
  in 
  length, 
  growing 
  directly 
  across 
  the 
  occiput, 
  from 
  one 
  patch 
  of 
  ear-coverts 
  

  

  