﻿98 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  "I 
  may 
  mention 
  that 
  the 
  altitude 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  was 
  higher 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  most 
  

   pheasant-grounds 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  encountered 
  before 
  in 
  Central 
  Asia. 
  It 
  was 
  from 
  3,000 
  

   to 
  3,500 
  feet 
  above 
  sea 
  level, 
  but 
  perhaps 
  the 
  sheltered 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  compen- 
  

   sated 
  for 
  this. 
  Mr. 
  Miller, 
  however, 
  found 
  the 
  pheasant 
  extending 
  up 
  to 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  

   4,100 
  feet 
  above 
  sea 
  level 
  in 
  the 
  narrow 
  valleys 
  of 
  the 
  Kok-su, 
  tributary 
  of 
  the 
  Tekes. 
  

   For 
  four 
  months 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  snow 
  lies 
  deep 
  here 
  ; 
  but 
  since 
  the 
  great 
  winter 
  food 
  

   supply 
  is 
  above 
  ground, 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  berries, 
  this 
  does 
  not 
  much 
  matter. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  next 
  day 
  I 
  started 
  out 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  sun 
  was 
  well 
  up, 
  together 
  with 
  my 
  man 
  

   and 
  dog. 
  We 
  hunted 
  through 
  the 
  tree 
  zone 
  and 
  then 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  river-banks, 
  where 
  the 
  

   country 
  was 
  more 
  open, 
  and 
  where 
  islands 
  on 
  the 
  many-channelled 
  river, 
  which 
  were 
  

   covered 
  with 
  long 
  grass 
  and 
  thorn 
  scrub, 
  made 
  easy 
  ground 
  to 
  hunt. 
  Most 
  of 
  these 
  

   islands 
  were 
  now 
  rendered 
  accessible 
  by 
  the 
  water 
  channels 
  being 
  frozen 
  over, 
  and 
  here 
  

   we 
  had 
  the 
  best 
  sport. 
  Coming 
  through 
  the 
  tree 
  belt 
  we 
  had 
  killed 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  brace 
  ; 
  

   but 
  these 
  were 
  mostly 
  scattered 
  birds, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  we 
  reached 
  the 
  more 
  open 
  

   feeding-grounds 
  that 
  we 
  found 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  birds, 
  feeding 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  on 
  the 
  

   yellow 
  berries 
  of 
  Crategus 
  sanguined. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  here 
  in 
  the 
  islands 
  and 
  

   away 
  from 
  their 
  real 
  home 
  and 
  refuge, 
  the 
  thickets 
  and 
  jungle 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  

   gave 
  occasion 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  scientific 
  sport. 
  With 
  my 
  Turki 
  servant 
  and 
  Siberian 
  dog 
  

   as 
  beaters, 
  I 
  had 
  impromptu 
  drives, 
  which 
  were 
  greatly 
  aided 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  

   birds 
  always 
  flew 
  — 
  when 
  put 
  up 
  off 
  these 
  insular 
  feeding-grounds 
  — 
  in 
  a 
  bee-line 
  for 
  

   the 
  nearest 
  jungle 
  on 
  the 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  I 
  placed 
  myself 
  on 
  the 
  frozen 
  ground 
  in 
  

   between, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  these 
  drives, 
  when 
  two 
  or 
  three, 
  or 
  sometimes 
  even 
  six 
  and 
  

   seven, 
  gorgeously 
  coloured 
  birds 
  lay 
  on 
  the 
  snow, 
  I 
  felt 
  that 
  this 
  indeed 
  was 
  the 
  real 
  

   thing, 
  without 
  artificial 
  methods, 
  as 
  nature 
  meant 
  it 
  to 
  be, 
  and, 
  above 
  all, 
  without 
  the 
  

   thought 
  that 
  each 
  bird 
  had 
  cost 
  a 
  guinea 
  to 
  rear. 
  But 
  it 
  has 
  its 
  drawbacks. 
  Beaters 
  

   are 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  get 
  hold 
  of, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  game-cart 
  following 
  behind 
  to 
  pick 
  

   up 
  the 
  spoil. 
  After 
  a 
  dozen 
  birds 
  have 
  been 
  shot, 
  the 
  question 
  arises 
  — 
  how 
  to 
  carry 
  

   them 
  ? 
  Where 
  driving 
  was 
  impossible 
  I 
  had 
  to 
  resort 
  to 
  merely 
  walking 
  them 
  up, 
  but 
  

   found 
  that 
  the 
  quickness 
  with 
  which 
  these 
  wild 
  birds 
  sprang 
  and 
  their 
  speed 
  when 
  on 
  

   the 
  wing 
  made 
  the 
  sport 
  quite 
  worthy. 
  Indeed, 
  this 
  trait 
  in 
  their 
  character 
  struck 
  

   me 
  so 
  much 
  that 
  I 
  carefully 
  weighed 
  and 
  measured 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  cock 
  and 
  hen 
  birds 
  in 
  

   order 
  to 
  compare 
  them 
  with 
  the 
  average 
  English 
  pheasant. 
  All 
  these 
  birds 
  were 
  in 
  fine 
  

   condition, 
  and 
  were 
  killed 
  in 
  December. 
  The 
  following 
  table 
  gives 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  forty 
  

   specimens 
  weighed 
  and 
  measured 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Weight 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  ■ 
  6* 
  • 
  

   • 
  § 
  

  

  Maximum. 
  

  

  4 
  lb. 
  

  

  . 
  3 
  lb. 
  • 
  

  

  Minimum. 
  

   2 
  lb. 
  . 
  

   2 
  lb. 
  . 
  

  

  Average. 
  

   . 
  3 
  lb. 
  7 
  oz. 
  

   . 
  2 
  lb. 
  10 
  oz. 
  

  

  Total 
  length 
  . 
  

  

  • 
  $ 
  ■ 
  

  

  • 
  $ 
  

  

  40 
  in. 
  

   28 
  in. 
  . 
  

  

  . 
  2Q|in. 
  . 
  

   26-| 
  in. 
  . 
  

  

  . 
  36-25 
  in. 
  

   . 
  26-92 
  in. 
  

  

  "When 
  comparing 
  them 
  with 
  English 
  birds 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  noticed 
  that, 
  although 
  about 
  

   the 
  same 
  in 
  size, 
  the 
  wild 
  Mongolian 
  birds 
  do 
  not 
  run 
  so 
  heavy 
  in 
  weight. 
  In 
  all 
  cases 
  

   the 
  'crosses' 
  run 
  heavier. 
  I 
  agree 
  with 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  G. 
  Millais's 
  representation 
  of 
  the 
  

   Mongolian 
  pheasant 
  as 
  a 
  fast 
  and 
  high-flying 
  bird. 
  These 
  birds 
  naturally 
  get 
  on 
  the 
  

   wing 
  very 
  much 
  quicker 
  than 
  the 
  heavy 
  English-bred 
  pheasant, 
  and 
  what 
  is 
  more, 
  they 
  

   fly 
  high 
  and 
  strong, 
  even 
  when 
  not 
  compelled 
  to 
  do 
  so 
  by 
  tree 
  belts. 
  And 
  I 
  claim 
  that 
  

  

  