﻿WESTERN 
  KOKLASS 
  PHEASANT 
  

  

  Pucrasia 
  macroloftha 
  castanea 
  Gould 
  

  

  NAMES. 
  — 
  Specific 
  : 
  castanea, 
  from 
  the 
  excess 
  and 
  richness 
  of 
  the 
  chestnut 
  colour 
  in 
  the 
  plumage. 
  English 
  : 
  

   Kafiristan 
  or 
  Chestnut 
  Koklass 
  ; 
  Western 
  Koklass. 
  

  

  Brief 
  Description. 
  — 
  Male 
  : 
  Similar 
  to 
  inacrolopha, 
  but 
  with 
  the 
  deep 
  chestnut 
  extending 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  

   ventral 
  plumage, 
  and 
  covering 
  the 
  entire 
  hind 
  neck 
  and 
  the 
  mantle 
  ; 
  back, 
  with 
  slightly 
  increased 
  black 
  pigment, 
  

   and 
  tail-feathers 
  with 
  chestnut 
  almost 
  obsolete. 
  Female 
  : 
  Unknown 
  ; 
  probably 
  similar 
  to 
  macrolopha, 
  but 
  with 
  

   increased 
  melanism. 
  

  

  RANGE. 
  — 
  Kafiristan. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  DISTRIBUTION 
  

  

  The 
  few 
  known 
  specimens 
  of 
  this 
  form 
  of 
  Koklass 
  Pheasant 
  have 
  been 
  collected 
  

   in 
  Chitral 
  and 
  Kafiristan. 
  The 
  locality 
  of 
  " 
  Northern 
  Afghanistan," 
  meaning 
  apparently 
  

   the 
  region 
  still 
  further 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  Kafiristan, 
  is 
  based 
  upon 
  the 
  mere 
  mention 
  of 
  the 
  

   fact 
  by 
  Captain 
  Marshall. 
  As 
  he 
  also 
  states 
  that 
  nipalensis 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  " 
  Bhotan," 
  there 
  

   seems 
  no 
  reason 
  on 
  that 
  score 
  to 
  give 
  credence 
  to 
  the 
  fact. 
  Koklass, 
  however, 
  are 
  not 
  

   uncommon 
  in 
  Chitral, 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  Afghan 
  border, 
  so 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  impossible 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  

   will 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  country. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  In 
  Lower 
  Chitral 
  the 
  Western 
  Koklass 
  is 
  common 
  on 
  the 
  heavily 
  forested 
  slopes 
  

   of 
  the 
  mountains, 
  such 
  as 
  Pattison, 
  Asseth, 
  and 
  the 
  valley 
  beyond 
  Drosh 
  Fort. 
  These 
  

   slopes 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  splendid 
  deodars, 
  and 
  the 
  pheasants 
  spend 
  most 
  of 
  their 
  time 
  

   in 
  the 
  shade 
  of 
  these 
  conifers. 
  They 
  occasionally, 
  however, 
  wander 
  out 
  upon 
  the 
  treeless 
  

   areas 
  for 
  food, 
  especially 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  and 
  the 
  crowing 
  of 
  the 
  cocks 
  is 
  often 
  

   heard 
  from 
  some 
  tree 
  near 
  the 
  open 
  zone. 
  The 
  bare 
  slopes 
  are 
  clothed 
  only 
  with 
  low- 
  

   growing 
  herbage, 
  with 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  a 
  patch 
  of 
  willow 
  and 
  birch, 
  stunted 
  and 
  gnarly 
  on 
  

   the 
  more 
  lofty 
  elevations. 
  

  

  In 
  winter 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  driven 
  downward 
  into 
  the 
  more 
  sheltered 
  valleys 
  by 
  the 
  

   severe 
  weather, 
  but 
  in 
  summer 
  they 
  are 
  seldom 
  found 
  below 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  seven 
  or 
  

   eight 
  thousand 
  feet. 
  Although 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  rather 
  difficult 
  matter 
  to 
  secure 
  or 
  even 
  to 
  

   approach 
  these 
  birds 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  dense 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  undergrowth 
  which 
  they 
  

   inhabit, 
  yet 
  their 
  presence 
  in 
  any 
  locality 
  is 
  at 
  once 
  revealed 
  by 
  their 
  loud, 
  harsh 
  crow. 
  

   At 
  a 
  distance 
  this 
  kok 
  ! 
  kok 
  ! 
  kokvass 
  ! 
  is 
  not 
  unlike 
  the 
  short, 
  broken 
  crow 
  of 
  the 
  

   red 
  junglefowl, 
  and 
  this 
  resemblance 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  many 
  mistakes. 
  The 
  latter 
  bird, 
  

   however, 
  is 
  never 
  found 
  at 
  such 
  high 
  elevations 
  as 
  the 
  Koklass. 
  When 
  the 
  pheasant 
  

   is 
  heard 
  near 
  at 
  hand, 
  the 
  calls 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  birds 
  can 
  never 
  be 
  confused. 
  

  

  The 
  two 
  dismounted, 
  but 
  very 
  much 
  over-stuffed 
  adult 
  male 
  types 
  from 
  which 
  

   Gould 
  described 
  this 
  form 
  are 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  of 
  Natural 
  History, 
  and 
  

  

  26 
  

  

  