﻿134 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  This 
  crow, 
  which 
  is 
  both 
  a 
  summons 
  to 
  a 
  mate 
  and 
  a 
  challenge 
  to 
  a 
  rival, 
  in 
  early 
  

   spring 
  is 
  uttered 
  chiefly 
  at 
  morning 
  and 
  evening. 
  Later, 
  in 
  the 
  full 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  

   breeding 
  season, 
  there 
  is 
  scarcely 
  an 
  hour 
  in 
  the 
  day 
  when 
  it 
  cannot 
  be 
  heard. 
  Later, 
  

   as 
  the 
  warmth 
  of 
  summer 
  ends 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  courtship, 
  the 
  calls 
  lessen 
  in 
  number 
  

   and 
  vigour 
  and 
  again 
  become 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  nodes 
  of 
  dawn 
  and 
  dusk, 
  before 
  

   dying 
  out 
  altogether. 
  Even 
  in 
  mid-summer, 
  however, 
  an 
  occasional 
  crow 
  may 
  be 
  

   heard, 
  perhaps 
  a 
  mere 
  expression 
  of 
  exuberant 
  spirits 
  or 
  a 
  family 
  call. 
  Then 
  in 
  the 
  

   autumn 
  the 
  juvenile 
  attempts 
  ring 
  out, 
  vocal 
  practice 
  in 
  preparation 
  for 
  the 
  ensuing 
  

   normal 
  challenge. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  ears 
  of 
  my 
  friend, 
  Prof. 
  Ijima 
  of 
  Tokyo 
  University, 
  the 
  crow 
  of 
  the 
  Green 
  

   Pheasant 
  sounds 
  like 
  Chok-kehn 
  ! 
  or 
  Chok-chok-choken 
  ! 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  distance 
  the 
  crow 
  

   becomes 
  softened 
  and 
  reduced 
  to 
  Ken-ken 
  ! 
  To 
  my 
  Caucasian 
  hearing, 
  biased 
  perhaps 
  

   by 
  weeks 
  of 
  reiteration 
  of 
  the 
  crow 
  of 
  the 
  Ceylon 
  junglefowl, 
  the 
  double 
  note 
  of 
  the 
  

   Japanese 
  Pheasant 
  is 
  more 
  like 
  the 
  syllables 
  George 
  Joyce 
  I 
  or 
  Geor-ker-joici 
  .'. 
  While 
  

   closely 
  resembling 
  the 
  crow 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  pheasant, 
  the 
  challenge 
  of 
  this 
  Japanese 
  

   form 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  be 
  somewhat 
  higher 
  and 
  shriller, 
  perhaps 
  more 
  metallic. 
  The 
  crow 
  

   is 
  often 
  followed 
  instantly 
  by 
  a 
  second's 
  whirring 
  of 
  wings, 
  the 
  brief 
  whoof 
  of 
  sound 
  

   being 
  almost 
  synchronous 
  with 
  the 
  final 
  syllable 
  of 
  the 
  crow. 
  

  

  The 
  challenge 
  may 
  be 
  uttered 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  or 
  from 
  a 
  boulder 
  or 
  limb 
  of 
  a 
  tree. 
  

   Once 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  bird 
  leap 
  into 
  flight 
  and 
  call, 
  rather 
  brokenly, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  wing. 
  The 
  

   occasional 
  cackling 
  sound 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  typical 
  Phasianus 
  birds 
  of 
  the 
  mainland 
  is 
  

   seldom 
  uttered 
  by 
  the 
  Green 
  Pheasant 
  and 
  only 
  under 
  the 
  stimulus 
  of 
  sudden 
  fear. 
  

   Ijima 
  gives 
  me 
  the 
  note 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  as 
  chiyo-chiyo. 
  I 
  have 
  heard 
  no 
  utterance 
  from 
  

   this 
  sex 
  except 
  a 
  low 
  content 
  call. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  Yamadori 
  or 
  copper 
  pheasants 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  produce 
  the 
  wing- 
  

   drumming, 
  this 
  is 
  such 
  a 
  common 
  habit 
  with 
  the 
  Kiji 
  or 
  green 
  birds 
  that 
  its 
  imitation 
  is 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  most 
  frequently 
  used 
  methods 
  of 
  enticing 
  the 
  pheasants 
  within 
  sight 
  and 
  gunshot. 
  

   To 
  a 
  short 
  bamboo 
  rod 
  are 
  fastened 
  two 
  wings 
  of 
  a 
  cock 
  pheasant, 
  partly 
  spread 
  and 
  

   dried 
  stiff. 
  Then 
  by 
  swiftly 
  revolving 
  this 
  instrument, 
  with 
  the 
  rolling 
  motion 
  like 
  that 
  

   of 
  drilling 
  a 
  hole, 
  the 
  wings 
  are 
  made 
  to 
  revolve 
  rapidly, 
  either 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  or 
  lightly 
  

   touching 
  the 
  arms 
  of 
  the 
  operator. 
  The 
  resulting 
  sound 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  realistic 
  to 
  draw 
  

   any 
  cock 
  within 
  hearing. 
  Prof. 
  Ijima 
  tells 
  me 
  that 
  many 
  pot-hunters 
  simply 
  imitate 
  

   the 
  call 
  of 
  the 
  hen, 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  cocks 
  respond 
  invariably 
  by 
  wing-drumming, 
  and 
  not 
  

   by 
  crowing, 
  approaching 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  supposed 
  hen, 
  and 
  whirring 
  as 
  they 
  come. 
  

  

  The 
  Kiji 
  takes 
  to 
  wing 
  easily 
  and 
  is 
  capable 
  of 
  covering 
  a 
  considerable 
  distance 
  in 
  

   a 
  single 
  flight, 
  but 
  even 
  where 
  trees 
  are 
  available 
  it 
  usually 
  chooses 
  to 
  alight 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground. 
  The 
  copper 
  pheasants, 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  will 
  far 
  more 
  often 
  perch 
  and 
  look 
  

   about 
  them 
  in 
  an 
  attempt 
  to 
  locate 
  the 
  danger. 
  The 
  most 
  convincing 
  proof 
  of 
  the 
  

   strength 
  of 
  flight 
  of 
  these 
  pheasants 
  is 
  that 
  given 
  by 
  F. 
  J. 
  Norman. 
  This 
  gentleman 
  

   tells 
  of 
  having 
  shot 
  dozens 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  "on 
  the 
  southern 
  slopes 
  of 
  Niijima, 
  a 
  small 
  

   island 
  lying 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  Etajima, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  good 
  mile 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  of 
  sea 
  running 
  

   between. 
  All 
  the 
  Kiji 
  shot 
  were 
  cock 
  birds, 
  and 
  though 
  I 
  have 
  often 
  searched 
  the 
  

   island 
  diligently, 
  I 
  never 
  came 
  across 
  a 
  hen 
  pheasant 
  on 
  it. 
  That, 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   I 
  always 
  found 
  the 
  cocks 
  in 
  packs 
  of 
  five 
  or 
  six, 
  or 
  more, 
  goes 
  far 
  to 
  prove, 
  I 
  think, 
  

   they 
  had 
  flown 
  over 
  from 
  Etajima." 
  

  

  