﻿34 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  " 
  Mon 
  unique 
  femelle 
  a 
  donnd 
  7 
  oeufs, 
  dont 
  5 
  fecondds. 
  Je 
  n'ai 
  pu 
  elever 
  que 
  

   2 
  sujets, 
  un 
  coq 
  et 
  une 
  poule 
  ; 
  ce 
  n'est 
  qu'un 
  succes 
  relatif, 
  mais 
  un 
  succes 
  que 
  je 
  

   m'efforcerai 
  de 
  poursuivre, 
  car 
  ces 
  oiseaux 
  sont 
  venus 
  tres 
  vite. 
  Us 
  ne 
  font 
  qu'une 
  

   consommation 
  insignifiante 
  de 
  patde 
  et 
  d'oeufs 
  de 
  fourmi 
  quand 
  ils 
  sont 
  dans 
  un 
  

   parquet 
  avec 
  de 
  l'herbe 
  a 
  discretion. 
  Le 
  coq 
  a 
  deja 
  rev£tu 
  son 
  plumage 
  d'adulte. 
  Je 
  

   pense 
  done 
  que 
  cette 
  espece 
  est 
  susceptible 
  de 
  reproduire 
  la 
  premiere 
  annee, 
  et 
  si 
  elle 
  

   s'annoncait 
  comme 
  un- 
  peu 
  plus 
  feconde, 
  elle 
  aurait 
  des 
  titres 
  serieux 
  a 
  £tre 
  essayee 
  

   comme 
  oiseau 
  de 
  chasse. 
  Elle 
  ne 
  craint 
  en 
  effet 
  ni 
  la 
  neige, 
  ni 
  la 
  temperature 
  si 
  

   rigoureuse 
  en 
  hiver 
  dans 
  nos 
  contrdes." 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  remaining 
  definite 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  breeding 
  of 
  birds 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  as 
  

   follows 
  (" 
  Bull. 
  Soc. 
  d'Acclim." 
  1881, 
  p. 
  583) 
  : 
  " 
  In 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  March 
  1880 
  we 
  received 
  

   five 
  imported 
  birds, 
  two 
  of 
  which 
  did 
  not 
  thrive 
  after 
  their 
  arrival, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  

   1 
  88 
  1 
  there 
  remained 
  but 
  one 
  male 
  and 
  two 
  females. 
  In 
  April 
  one 
  -female 
  was 
  killed 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

   On 
  April 
  23rd 
  the 
  only 
  surviving 
  female 
  laid 
  her 
  first 
  egg 
  in 
  a 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  cage, 
  and 
  

   she 
  continued 
  to 
  lay, 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  three 
  days, 
  until 
  July 
  1st. 
  She 
  laid 
  twenty-four 
  

   fertile 
  eggs, 
  from 
  which 
  nineteen 
  young 
  were 
  hatched, 
  which 
  still 
  survive, 
  while 
  two 
  

   chicks 
  died 
  in 
  the 
  shell, 
  another 
  was 
  crushed 
  by 
  the 
  brooding 
  hen, 
  and 
  a 
  fourth, 
  already 
  

   well 
  grown, 
  was 
  killed 
  by 
  a 
  neighbouring 
  brooding 
  hen 
  into 
  whose 
  enclosure 
  the 
  chick 
  

   had 
  strayed. 
  

  

  "To 
  sum 
  up, 
  the 
  breeding 
  of 
  young 
  Koklass 
  pheasants 
  does 
  not 
  present 
  more 
  , 
  

   serious 
  difficulties 
  than 
  the 
  breeding 
  of 
  other 
  species, 
  their 
  diet 
  being 
  the 
  same. 
  They 
  

   are 
  characterized 
  by 
  their 
  wildness, 
  as, 
  while 
  young 
  tragopans 
  and 
  impeyans 
  will 
  eat 
  

   from 
  the 
  hand, 
  the 
  Koklass 
  chicks 
  hide 
  themselves 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  door 
  of 
  their 
  enclosure 
  

   is 
  opened." 
  

  

  DETAILED 
  DESCRIPTION 
  

  

  Adult 
  Male. 
  — 
  The 
  entire 
  crown 
  greyish 
  buff, 
  the 
  elongated 
  crest 
  clear 
  rufous 
  buff, 
  

   and 
  the 
  still 
  longer 
  occipital 
  crest 
  just 
  behind 
  dull 
  black 
  with 
  shining 
  green 
  edges. 
  A 
  

   very 
  large 
  patch 
  of 
  white 
  extending 
  from 
  the 
  gape 
  and 
  the 
  ear-coverts 
  down 
  the 
  side 
  

   neck. 
  The 
  remaining 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  neck 
  shining 
  iridescent 
  green, 
  the 
  chin 
  

   and 
  throat, 
  however, 
  chiefly 
  dull 
  black. 
  Dorsal 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  neck 
  and 
  upper 
  mantle 
  light 
  

   yellowish 
  buff 
  with 
  darker, 
  more 
  rufous 
  margins. 
  A 
  narrow 
  line 
  of 
  feathers 
  along 
  the 
  

   mid 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  neck 
  shows 
  basal 
  black, 
  which 
  creeps 
  up 
  the 
  webs 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  edge, 
  and 
  

   where 
  the 
  yellow 
  colour 
  dies 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  mid 
  mantle, 
  the 
  black 
  has 
  reached 
  the 
  tip 
  in 
  

   the 
  shape 
  of 
  two 
  broad 
  tapering 
  lines. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  typical 
  character 
  of 
  xanthospila 
  

   on 
  both 
  dorsal 
  and 
  ventral 
  plumage. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  yellow 
  dies 
  out, 
  a 
  mottled 
  grey 
  takes 
  its 
  place 
  and 
  extends 
  uniformly 
  back- 
  

   ward 
  to 
  the 
  rump, 
  where 
  it 
  becomes 
  tinged 
  with 
  buff 
  and 
  rufous. 
  The 
  same 
  grey 
  and 
  

   black 
  pattern 
  and 
  colour 
  characterize 
  the 
  entire 
  under 
  surface 
  except 
  for 
  the 
  mid 
  zone 
  of 
  

   solid 
  chestnut, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  in 
  macrolopha. 
  The 
  lower 
  sides 
  and 
  flanks, 
  however, 
  

   show 
  the 
  nuchal 
  yellow 
  strongly 
  developed. 
  

  

  The 
  scapulars 
  and 
  wings 
  are 
  marked 
  by 
  an 
  olive 
  tinge, 
  with 
  the 
  two 
  black 
  lateral 
  

   lines 
  well 
  developed 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  coverts. 
  On 
  the 
  tertiaries 
  and 
  inner 
  secondaries 
  this 
  black 
  

   is 
  confined 
  to 
  two 
  large, 
  irregular 
  subterminal 
  spots, 
  the 
  inner 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  marked 
  or 
  

   replaced 
  with 
  rufous. 
  The 
  secondaries 
  show 
  successively 
  less 
  and 
  less 
  olive-brown 
  

  

  