﻿GREEN 
  JAPANESE 
  PHEASANT 
  135 
  

  

  DAILY 
  ROUND 
  OF 
  LIFE 
  

  

  The 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  Green 
  Pheasants 
  varies 
  with 
  the 
  locality, 
  but 
  under 
  the 
  usual 
  

   conditions 
  of 
  life 
  will 
  consist 
  of 
  grains 
  of 
  various 
  kinds, 
  such 
  as 
  rice, 
  barley 
  and 
  wheat, 
  

   and 
  of 
  berries. 
  To 
  a 
  less 
  extent 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  shoots 
  of 
  herbs 
  and 
  bamboo, 
  bits 
  

   of 
  sweet 
  potatoe 
  and 
  various 
  vegetables 
  in 
  its 
  crop, 
  while 
  insects, 
  such 
  as 
  grubs, 
  crickets 
  

   and 
  small 
  beetles, 
  form 
  a 
  still 
  smaller 
  percentage 
  of 
  its 
  food. 
  

  

  The 
  birds 
  begin 
  to 
  mate 
  in 
  March, 
  and 
  the 
  breeding 
  season 
  extends 
  through 
  April 
  

   and 
  May. 
  The 
  moulting 
  season 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  autumn, 
  the 
  plumage 
  of 
  birds 
  shot 
  in 
  

   September 
  and 
  October 
  often 
  showing 
  extreme 
  abrasion 
  of 
  the 
  feathers. 
  I 
  saw 
  no 
  fights 
  

   between 
  cock 
  birds, 
  but 
  Japanese 
  hunters 
  told 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  pheasants 
  may 
  have 
  such 
  

   fierce 
  encounters 
  that 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  combatants 
  succumbs. 
  The 
  courtship, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  

   observed 
  it 
  in 
  captive 
  birds, 
  differs 
  in 
  no 
  way 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  pheasant. 
  

  

  The 
  birds 
  are 
  essentially 
  polygamous, 
  although 
  the 
  exigencies 
  of 
  love 
  and 
  war 
  may 
  

   often 
  result 
  in 
  allotting 
  but 
  a 
  single 
  female 
  to 
  a 
  cock. 
  The 
  nests 
  are 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground 
  and 
  without 
  special 
  lining, 
  except 
  for 
  dried 
  leaves 
  and 
  other 
  debris 
  which 
  may 
  

   have 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  depression 
  when 
  first 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  hen. 
  I 
  found 
  nests 
  with 
  full 
  

   sets 
  of 
  eggs 
  varying 
  from 
  six 
  to 
  twelve, 
  and 
  fifteen 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  sometimes 
  laid 
  by 
  a 
  

   single 
  hen. 
  Prof. 
  Ijima 
  tells 
  me 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  number, 
  those 
  deposited 
  last 
  are 
  

   often 
  smaller 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  infertile. 
  There 
  is 
  considerable 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  

   Green 
  Pheasant, 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  pigment 
  extending 
  from 
  pale 
  stone-colour 
  to 
  quite 
  a 
  dark 
  

   brown. 
  The 
  size 
  shows 
  less 
  extremes, 
  the 
  measurements 
  being 
  from 
  1 
  "5 
  to 
  1 
  8 
  mm. 
  in 
  

   length 
  and 
  from 
  1*2 
  to 
  i 
  - 
  4 
  in 
  breadth, 
  the 
  general 
  average 
  being 
  16 
  by 
  1*3 
  mm. 
  

  

  A 
  single 
  brood 
  is 
  reared 
  in 
  a 
  season, 
  and 
  the 
  reports 
  I 
  received 
  of 
  second 
  and 
  even 
  

   third 
  broods 
  are 
  based 
  on 
  later 
  layings, 
  incident 
  on 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  nest 
  or 
  

   set 
  of 
  eggs. 
  When 
  this 
  is 
  destroyed 
  by 
  flood 
  or 
  other 
  cause, 
  the 
  hen 
  will 
  at 
  once 
  make 
  

   another 
  nest. 
  In 
  this 
  case 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs" 
  will 
  be 
  fewer, 
  from 
  four 
  to 
  eight. 
  

   Seldom 
  are 
  ten 
  chicks 
  seen 
  with 
  a 
  single 
  hen. 
  Four 
  or 
  five 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  more 
  

   common 
  number 
  which 
  survive 
  the 
  dangers 
  of 
  early 
  chickhood. 
  And 
  these 
  dangers 
  are 
  

   far 
  from, 
  few. 
  The 
  hawks, 
  kites, 
  crows, 
  magpies, 
  weasels 
  and 
  snakes 
  all 
  take 
  their 
  

   share, 
  but 
  their 
  greatest 
  enemy 
  is, 
  undoubtedly, 
  the 
  half-wild 
  domestic 
  cats 
  which 
  

   abound 
  in 
  some 
  places. 
  Although 
  the 
  skins, 
  both 
  dried 
  and 
  of 
  freshly 
  killed 
  birds, 
  are 
  

   comparatively 
  free 
  from 
  Mallophaga, 
  yet 
  the 
  living 
  pheasants 
  seem 
  to 
  suffer 
  from 
  their 
  

   attacks, 
  or 
  else 
  they 
  take 
  an 
  unusual 
  pleasure 
  in 
  the 
  delights 
  of 
  dust-baths. 
  Wherever 
  

   Kiji 
  are 
  found, 
  one 
  will 
  frequently 
  run 
  across 
  the 
  characteristic 
  basin-like 
  depressions 
  

   which 
  mark 
  the 
  dust-baths 
  of 
  these 
  birds. 
  Some 
  especially 
  delectable 
  place 
  will 
  

   apparently 
  be 
  used 
  by 
  many 
  individuals 
  in 
  succession, 
  the 
  basin 
  becoming 
  deep 
  and 
  

   wide, 
  and 
  so 
  filled 
  with 
  light 
  dust 
  that 
  when 
  a 
  bird 
  lies 
  down 
  and 
  flicks 
  the 
  powder 
  

   into 
  its 
  plumage, 
  the 
  dust 
  rises 
  in 
  clouds. 
  Once 
  I 
  thought 
  I 
  must 
  be 
  approaching 
  a 
  

   small 
  hot 
  spring 
  giving 
  forth 
  masses 
  of 
  steam, 
  and 
  only 
  when 
  I 
  reached 
  the 
  place 
  did 
  I 
  

   realize 
  that 
  a 
  few 
  seconds 
  before, 
  pheasants 
  had 
  been 
  using 
  the 
  dust 
  of 
  the 
  place. 
  

   During 
  my 
  approach 
  they 
  had 
  crept 
  quietly 
  away, 
  and 
  no 
  searching 
  of 
  the 
  surrounding 
  

   brush 
  revealed 
  a 
  single 
  bird. 
  There 
  were 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  tell-tale 
  feathers, 
  numerous 
  

   tracks, 
  and 
  the 
  earth 
  still 
  warm 
  and 
  the 
  dust 
  still 
  blowing 
  upward, 
  to 
  tell 
  of 
  their 
  

   recent 
  occupance. 
  In 
  Yamadori 
  country 
  such 
  dusting-places 
  are 
  never 
  found. 
  

  

  Although 
  polygamous 
  by 
  nature, 
  the 
  cock 
  pheasant 
  in 
  autumn 
  is 
  often 
  seen 
  with 
  

  

  