﻿SOEMMERRING'S 
  COPPER 
  PHEASANT 
  

  

  Syrmaticus 
  soemmerringi 
  soemmerringi 
  (Temminck) 
  

  

  NAMES. 
  — 
  Specific 
  : 
  soemmerringi, 
  named 
  for 
  M. 
  le 
  professeur 
  de 
  Soemmerring. 
  English 
  : 
  Copper 
  or 
  Soem- 
  

   merring's 
  Pheasant. 
  French 
  : 
  Faisan 
  de 
  soemmerring. 
  German 
  : 
  Sommerring's 
  Fasan. 
  Native 
  : 
  Akayamadori 
  

   (Red 
  Mountain 
  Bird, 
  Japanese). 
  

  

  Brief 
  DESCRIPTION. 
  — 
  Male 
  : 
  General 
  colour 
  above 
  rich 
  chestnut, 
  the 
  margins 
  of 
  these 
  feathers 
  and 
  those 
  

   of 
  the 
  breast 
  purplish 
  carmine, 
  changing 
  to 
  fiery 
  gold 
  ; 
  ventral 
  plumage 
  vinous 
  chestnut 
  ; 
  the 
  basal 
  part 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  

   feathers 
  black, 
  visible 
  only 
  on 
  the 
  wing-coverts 
  and 
  under 
  parts 
  ; 
  very 
  long 
  central 
  tail-feathers, 
  with 
  nine 
  to 
  

   sixteen 
  wide-set, 
  very 
  narrow 
  black 
  cross-bars, 
  the 
  interspaces 
  being 
  rich 
  chestnut. 
  The 
  lateral 
  tail-feathers 
  are 
  

   tipped 
  with 
  black. 
  Female 
  : 
  Crown 
  dark 
  brown, 
  edged 
  with 
  dull 
  rufous 
  ; 
  ground 
  colour 
  of 
  upper 
  parts 
  black, 
  with 
  

   a 
  dominant 
  rufous 
  tone 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  mantle, 
  grey 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  mantle, 
  and 
  a 
  mottling 
  of 
  grey 
  and 
  buff 
  on 
  the 
  

   back 
  and 
  rump 
  ; 
  the 
  mantle 
  and 
  scapulars 
  show 
  light 
  shaft-streaks, 
  the 
  back 
  and 
  rump 
  dark 
  ones 
  ; 
  chin 
  and 
  throat 
  

   buff, 
  the 
  lateral 
  feathers 
  tipped 
  with 
  black 
  ; 
  breast 
  pale 
  buff, 
  shading 
  into 
  grey, 
  with 
  semi-visible 
  basal 
  black 
  

   markings 
  ; 
  posterior 
  under 
  parts 
  buffy 
  white 
  ; 
  central 
  tail-feathers 
  faintly 
  mottled 
  rufous, 
  with 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   distinct 
  lateral 
  grey 
  bars 
  ; 
  lateral 
  tail-feathers 
  solid 
  chestnut, 
  with 
  a 
  sub-terminal 
  black 
  and 
  a 
  terminal 
  white 
  bar. 
  

  

  Range. 
  — 
  South-east 
  coast 
  of 
  Honda 
  ; 
  Eastern 
  Kiusiu, 
  Japan. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  DISTRIBUTION 
  

  

  This 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  Japanese 
  Copper 
  Pheasant 
  was 
  known 
  many 
  years 
  before 
  the 
  

   others, 
  and, 
  perhaps 
  wrongly, 
  it 
  has 
  monopolized 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  synonymy 
  and 
  the 
  very 
  

   vague 
  notes 
  which 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  have 
  composed 
  the 
  sum 
  total 
  of 
  our 
  knowledge 
  

   of 
  these 
  beautiful 
  birds. 
  Nevertheless, 
  it 
  is 
  far 
  from 
  being 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  or 
  widely 
  

   spread 
  of 
  the 
  Copper 
  Pheasants. 
  

  

  Densely 
  populated 
  as 
  are 
  the 
  various 
  islands 
  of 
  Japan, 
  yet 
  the 
  exact 
  distribution 
  

   of 
  bird 
  life 
  is 
  still 
  almost 
  wholly 
  unknown, 
  and 
  even 
  the 
  best 
  native 
  authorities 
  can 
  

   give 
  one 
  but 
  little 
  help. 
  By 
  means 
  of 
  examining 
  the 
  markets 
  in 
  many 
  towns 
  and 
  

   villages, 
  and 
  noting 
  or 
  purchasing 
  locally 
  shot 
  pheasants, 
  and 
  from 
  numberless 
  short 
  

   trips 
  into 
  the 
  country 
  from 
  various 
  points, 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  outline 
  roughly 
  the 
  general 
  

   distribution 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  forms 
  of 
  " 
  Yamadori." 
  

  

  Soemmerring's 
  Pheasant, 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  island 
  of 
  Honda, 
  is 
  apparently 
  confined 
  to 
  

   the 
  south-east 
  coast, 
  ranging 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  the 
  Izu 
  peninsula 
  and 
  occurring 
  in 
  an 
  

   unbroken 
  line 
  as 
  far 
  south 
  as 
  Kobe 
  on 
  the 
  Inland 
  Sea. 
  From 
  here 
  southward 
  

   soemmerringi 
  and 
  scintillans 
  occur 
  in 
  equal 
  numbers. 
  In 
  Kiusiu, 
  just 
  south 
  of 
  Moji, 
  

   the 
  former 
  again 
  increases, 
  and 
  throughout 
  the 
  extreme 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  island 
  one 
  

   finds 
  pure 
  soemmerringi 
  dominant. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  As 
  we 
  have 
  seen, 
  this 
  form 
  is 
  far 
  more 
  local 
  and 
  rarer 
  than 
  scintillans, 
  but 
  its 
  

   early 
  recognition 
  and 
  comparative 
  abundance 
  in 
  collections 
  is 
  doubtless 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  

  

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