﻿i.48 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  DISTRIBUTION 
  

  

  The 
  exact 
  outlines 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  this 
  pheasant 
  will 
  not 
  become 
  known 
  until 
  a 
  

   thorough 
  reconnaissance 
  of 
  the 
  fauna 
  of 
  Central 
  China 
  is 
  made. 
  We 
  know, 
  however, 
  

   that 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  range 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  live 
  on 
  the 
  lowlands 
  and 
  plains, 
  

   so 
  that 
  by 
  keeping 
  to 
  the 
  foothills 
  of 
  the 
  mountains, 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  five 
  thousand 
  feet, 
  we 
  

   may 
  trace 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  along 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Yangtse 
  

   from 
  eastern 
  Szechuan, 
  through 
  and 
  including 
  most 
  of 
  Hupeh, 
  and 
  possibly 
  extending 
  

   as 
  far 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  as 
  Anhwei. 
  From 
  north-eastern 
  Hupeh 
  a 
  long, 
  rather 
  narrow 
  finger 
  

   leads 
  along 
  the 
  contiguous 
  borders 
  of 
  Shensi 
  and 
  Honan, 
  Shansi 
  and 
  Chili, 
  to 
  the 
  

   latitude 
  of 
  Pekin, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  only 
  occasionally. 
  The 
  centre 
  of 
  its 
  range 
  is 
  most 
  

   certainly 
  Hupeh. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  Before 
  detailing 
  our 
  rather 
  meagre 
  knowledge 
  of 
  Reeves's 
  Pheasant 
  I 
  will 
  repeat 
  

   the 
  account 
  of 
  a 
  hunting 
  trip 
  (Creagh, 
  "The 
  Field," 
  May 
  1866), 
  which 
  will 
  supplement 
  

   the 
  observations 
  I 
  have 
  already 
  presented 
  : 
  — 
  ■ 
  

  

  "It 
  was 
  from 
  Ichang, 
  a 
  post 
  at 
  the 
  head-waters 
  of 
  the 
  Yangtse, 
  the 
  great 
  river 
  of 
  

   China, 
  or 
  rather 
  where 
  that 
  river 
  leaves 
  its 
  gorges, 
  that 
  I 
  started 
  with 
  the 
  stream 
  

   to 
  a 
  large 
  valley 
  where 
  I 
  knew 
  Reeves's 
  Pheasants 
  had 
  been 
  seen. 
  It 
  is 
  useless 
  to 
  ask 
  

   any 
  questions 
  of 
  the 
  countryfolk, 
  who 
  will 
  always 
  say 
  'yes.' 
  I 
  therefore 
  landed 
  and 
  

   walked 
  along 
  a 
  wide 
  valley, 
  with 
  high 
  perpendicular 
  mountains 
  of 
  conglomerate 
  on 
  either 
  

   side, 
  and 
  beetling 
  over 
  small 
  woods 
  of 
  cypress. 
  The 
  birds 
  live 
  on 
  the 
  berry 
  of 
  this 
  tree, 
  

   and 
  fly 
  from 
  one 
  wood 
  to 
  another. 
  They 
  will 
  never 
  show 
  themselves 
  if 
  they 
  can 
  avoid 
  

   it, 
  and, 
  through 
  their 
  great 
  fleetness 
  when 
  running, 
  steal 
  away 
  before 
  the 
  dogs. 
  Some- 
  

   times, 
  however, 
  when 
  taken 
  by 
  surprise, 
  they 
  rise, 
  and 
  then 
  only 
  by 
  great 
  caution 
  can 
  

   a 
  single 
  sportsman 
  hope 
  to 
  get 
  them. 
  Surrounding 
  the 
  small 
  woods 
  with 
  several 
  

   guns 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  way 
  to 
  bag 
  them. 
  I 
  think 
  they 
  drive 
  away 
  the 
  common 
  pheasant, 
  for 
  I 
  

   have 
  never 
  seen 
  them 
  together. 
  This 
  may, 
  perhaps, 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  their 
  living 
  on 
  

   different 
  food. 
  I 
  had 
  with 
  me 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  a 
  spaniel 
  and 
  a 
  red 
  Irish 
  setter, 
  and, 
  as 
  the 
  

   day 
  was 
  fine 
  and 
  clear, 
  walked 
  on 
  quietly 
  until 
  I 
  came 
  to 
  what 
  appeared 
  a 
  good 
  country. 
  

   The 
  hills 
  here 
  were 
  lower, 
  and 
  the 
  wood 
  fairly 
  dense, 
  but 
  free 
  of 
  undergrowth. 
  A 
  

   woodcutter 
  told 
  me 
  he 
  had 
  seen 
  several 
  pheasants 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  ago, 
  but 
  could 
  give 
  

   me 
  no 
  further 
  information, 
  so, 
  tying 
  up 
  my 
  spaniel, 
  I 
  determined 
  to 
  work 
  quietly 
  along 
  

   with 
  the 
  setter. 
  Although 
  it 
  was 
  January 
  the 
  day 
  was 
  hot, 
  and 
  I 
  was 
  obliged 
  to 
  divest 
  

   myself 
  of 
  my 
  coat 
  as 
  I 
  struggled 
  up 
  the 
  hill. 
  I 
  worked 
  along 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  Avithout 
  

   coming 
  on 
  any 
  scent. 
  Suddenly 
  the 
  setter 
  got 
  very 
  busy, 
  and 
  moved 
  along, 
  showing 
  

   me 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  some 
  large 
  game. 
  I 
  followed 
  on 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  I 
  could 
  over 
  the 
  broken 
  

   ground. 
  False 
  scent, 
  back 
  again 
  ; 
  then 
  the 
  dog 
  took 
  a 
  turn 
  up 
  the 
  almost 
  perpendicular 
  

   rock. 
  Good 
  gracious 
  ! 
  thought 
  I, 
  how 
  can 
  birds 
  get 
  up 
  there 
  and 
  leave 
  any 
  scent 
  ? 
  

   They 
  had 
  evidently 
  helped 
  themselves 
  with 
  their 
  wings. 
  I 
  was 
  determined 
  to 
  follow, 
  

   and 
  brought 
  the 
  setter 
  back 
  to 
  a 
  place 
  where 
  we 
  succeeded 
  in 
  getting 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  upper 
  

   ledge 
  after 
  a 
  little 
  scrambling. 
  Having 
  arrived 
  at 
  the 
  top, 
  as 
  I 
  had 
  anticipated, 
  we 
  soon 
  

   came 
  on 
  the 
  scent 
  again, 
  and 
  away 
  went 
  the 
  dog, 
  very 
  cautiously 
  setting 
  every 
  now 
  and 
  

   again. 
  Just 
  ahead 
  of 
  us 
  now 
  was 
  a 
  stone 
  wall. 
  I 
  was 
  very 
  much 
  afraid 
  that 
  my 
  game 
  

   would 
  rise 
  just 
  as 
  I 
  was 
  getting 
  over, 
  so 
  I 
  made 
  all 
  preparation 
  for 
  a 
  surprise, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  

  

  