﻿LIST 
  OF 
  PHOTOGRAVURES 
  xiii 
  

  

  Photogravure 
  46. 
  HAUNTS 
  OF 
  THE 
  TURKESTAN 
  MONGOLIAN 
  PHEASANT 
  

  

  OR 
  SYR-DARIA 
  RING-NECK 
  .... 
  Facing 
  page 
  100 
  

   Photographs 
  by 
  Dwight 
  Huntington. 
  

  

  Over 
  the 
  great, 
  but 
  little 
  known 
  region 
  of 
  Turkestan 
  known 
  as 
  Syr-Daria, 
  with 
  its 
  rugged 
  

   gorges 
  and 
  snow-capped 
  mountains, 
  its 
  scattered 
  villages, 
  fields 
  of 
  grain 
  and 
  herds 
  of 
  goats, 
  the 
  

   most 
  western 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  Ring-necks 
  is 
  found. 
  

  

  It 
  drinks 
  at 
  tiny 
  meandering 
  streams, 
  which 
  in 
  spring 
  become 
  raging 
  torrents, 
  it 
  gleans 
  

   from 
  the 
  grain 
  in 
  autumn 
  or 
  scratches 
  in 
  the 
  frozen 
  ground 
  in 
  winter. 
  Among 
  the 
  wind-blown 
  

   sturdy 
  shrubs 
  or 
  the 
  long 
  waving 
  reeds 
  it 
  roosts 
  at 
  night, 
  ever 
  seeking 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  hosts 
  of 
  

   enemies 
  which 
  threaten 
  it 
  on 
  every 
  side. 
  

  

  Photogravure 
  47. 
  MONGOLIAN 
  PHEASANT 
  ..... 
  Facing 
  page 
  104 
  

  

  ZARAFSHAN 
  PHEASANT 
  

   TARIM 
  PHEASANT 
  

  

  Photographs 
  by 
  Douglas 
  Carruthers. 
  

  

  The 
  wildest 
  and 
  bleakest 
  river 
  basins 
  of 
  central 
  Asia 
  are 
  inhabited 
  by 
  pheasants. 
  Now 
  

   and 
  then 
  a 
  ragged 
  caravan 
  passes, 
  hastening 
  across 
  the 
  deserts, 
  from 
  one 
  source 
  of 
  water 
  supply 
  

   to 
  the 
  next, 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  camels 
  bearing 
  tea 
  or 
  grain. 
  When 
  the 
  rivers 
  are 
  in 
  flood 
  and 
  spread 
  

   out 
  across 
  the 
  deserts, 
  the 
  birds 
  wander 
  far, 
  and 
  roost 
  at 
  night 
  among 
  the 
  ruins 
  of 
  half-buried 
  

   and 
  wholly 
  forgotten 
  cities. 
  Rarely 
  an 
  explorer 
  makes 
  his 
  way 
  through, 
  mapping 
  the 
  valleys, 
  

   shooting 
  a 
  few 
  specimens, 
  and 
  passing 
  on 
  forever. 
  

  

  Photogravure 
  48. 
  YUNNAN 
  BLACK-NECKED 
  OR 
  STONE'S 
  PHEASANT 
  

  

  Photographs 
  by 
  William 
  Beebe. 
  Facing 
  page 
  108 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  genus 
  which 
  occurs 
  within 
  the 
  boundaries 
  of 
  British 
  

   India. 
  In 
  Yunnan 
  the 
  bird 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  general 
  environment 
  as 
  the 
  silver 
  kaleege 
  

   pheasants. 
  A 
  hunter 
  I 
  knew 
  drove 
  a 
  cock 
  bird 
  cut 
  of 
  cover 
  into 
  a 
  ploughed 
  field, 
  and 
  a 
  golden 
  

   eagle 
  made 
  a 
  swoop 
  at 
  it 
  but 
  missed. 
  

  

  Stone's 
  Pheasant 
  roams 
  over 
  the 
  wooded 
  heights 
  of 
  the 
  maze 
  of 
  mountains 
  along 
  the 
  

   Burma-Chinese 
  frontier, 
  and 
  finds 
  its 
  food 
  by 
  scratching 
  among 
  the 
  dead 
  leaves 
  and 
  ferns 
  of 
  

   the 
  forest 
  undergrowth. 
  

  

  Photogravure 
  49. 
  RING-NECKED 
  PHEASANTS 
  IN 
  EASTERN 
  CHINA 
  

  

  Photographs 
  by 
  William 
  Beebe. 
  Facing 
  page 
  1 
  1 
  8 
  

  

  The 
  pheasants 
  of 
  north-eastern 
  China 
  come 
  down 
  once 
  a 
  day 
  to 
  the 
  rivers 
  or 
  creeks 
  to 
  

   drink, 
  and 
  then 
  make 
  their 
  way 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  rolling 
  grassy 
  slopes 
  where 
  they 
  nest 
  and 
  roost. 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  two 
  nests 
  of 
  Ring-necked 
  Pheasants 
  in 
  the 
  grassy 
  tangle 
  foreground 
  of 
  the 
  

   central 
  photograph. 
  

  

  A 
  full-grown 
  cock 
  pheasant 
  is 
  hidden 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  photograph, 
  the 
  beak, 
  

   white 
  collar, 
  back 
  and 
  upward-pointing 
  tail 
  feathers 
  distinguishable. 
  Although 
  so 
  brilliantly 
  

   coloured, 
  yet 
  when 
  partially 
  hidden 
  by 
  the 
  grass 
  its 
  patterns 
  and 
  hues 
  merged 
  perfectly 
  with 
  

   the 
  lights 
  and 
  shadows 
  of 
  the 
  vegetation. 
  The 
  bird 
  did 
  not 
  flush 
  until 
  approached 
  within 
  a 
  

   few 
  yards, 
  when 
  it 
  rose 
  with 
  a 
  roar 
  of 
  wings, 
  shot 
  almost 
  straight 
  upward 
  for 
  thirty 
  feet, 
  and 
  

   then 
  off 
  along 
  the 
  hill 
  in 
  the 
  central 
  photograph. 
  Two 
  hens 
  were 
  sitting 
  on 
  eggs 
  close 
  by. 
  

  

  Photogravure 
  50. 
  THE 
  BLEAK 
  LAND 
  OF 
  CHILI, 
  NORTH-EAST 
  CHINA, 
  

  

  HOME 
  OF 
  THE 
  RING-NECKED 
  PHEASANT 
  . 
  Facing 
  page 
  124 
  

  

  Photographs 
  by 
  William 
  Beebe. 
  

  

  The 
  common 
  Ring-necks 
  inhabit 
  three 
  general 
  types 
  of 
  country, 
  dense 
  reeds, 
  along 
  river 
  

   banks, 
  low 
  rolling 
  hills 
  covered 
  with 
  scrub 
  oak, 
  chestnut 
  and 
  pine, 
  or 
  dense 
  grass 
  growing 
  in 
  

   irregular 
  patches, 
  and 
  the 
  flat 
  paddy-fields. 
  

  

  Double 
  broods 
  are 
  sometimes 
  reared, 
  the 
  great 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  chicks 
  falling 
  victims 
  to 
  

   rats, 
  civet 
  cats, 
  foxes 
  and 
  weasels, 
  

  

  