﻿SOEMMERRING'S 
  COPPER 
  PHEASANT 
  159 
  

  

  of 
  its 
  occurrence 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity 
  of 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  sea-ports, 
  Yokohama 
  

   and 
  Nagasaki, 
  which, 
  more 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  places 
  in 
  Japan, 
  are 
  visited 
  by 
  foreign 
  

   travellers. 
  In 
  the 
  markets 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  places 
  one 
  will 
  find 
  soemmerringi 
  far 
  more 
  

   abundant 
  than 
  scintillans. 
  A 
  short 
  distance 
  into 
  the 
  mountains, 
  however, 
  takes 
  one 
  

   completely 
  beyond 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  former. 
  

  

  The 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  are 
  so 
  similar 
  that 
  I 
  shall 
  let 
  the 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  widely 
  

   spread 
  and 
  abundant 
  scintillans 
  stand 
  as 
  typical 
  of 
  both 
  soemmerringi 
  and 
  ijimae. 
  The 
  

   only 
  recognition 
  of 
  this 
  comparative 
  phenomenon 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  in 
  literature 
  is 
  an 
  

   implied 
  realization 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  in 
  Ogama's 
  " 
  Hand-List 
  of 
  the 
  Birds 
  of 
  Japan," 
  where 
  he 
  

   gives 
  scintillans 
  precedence 
  over 
  the 
  two 
  other 
  forms, 
  and 
  correctly 
  restricts 
  the 
  

   widespread 
  name 
  of 
  Yamadori 
  to 
  this 
  form. 
  

  

  The 
  very 
  meagre 
  notes 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  recorded 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  are 
  valueless, 
  

   except 
  as 
  personal 
  records. 
  They 
  add 
  nothing 
  to 
  the 
  actual 
  life 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  bird, 
  and, 
  

   indeed, 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  very 
  evidently 
  composite 
  — 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  a 
  Copper 
  Pheasant 
  

   combined 
  with 
  the 
  call-notes 
  of 
  the 
  green 
  pheasant. 
  This 
  is 
  what 
  we 
  might 
  expect, 
  

   since 
  the 
  two 
  birds 
  inhabit, 
  in 
  many 
  cases, 
  the 
  very 
  same 
  fields 
  and 
  hills. 
  

  

  I 
  once 
  surprised 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  six 
  birds, 
  two 
  males 
  and 
  four 
  females, 
  near 
  a 
  little 
  village 
  

   in 
  Izu, 
  and 
  had 
  an 
  excellent 
  view 
  of 
  them 
  as 
  they 
  scaled 
  away. 
  There 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  hint 
  

   of 
  white 
  upon 
  the 
  plumage 
  of 
  the 
  males. 
  My 
  interpreter 
  learned 
  that 
  this 
  flock 
  had 
  

   been 
  seen 
  within 
  the 
  small 
  area 
  of 
  this 
  valley 
  throughout 
  the 
  winter, 
  and 
  the 
  natives 
  

   had 
  in 
  vain 
  tried 
  to 
  trap 
  them. 
  

  

  Walking 
  about 
  the 
  western 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  hill, 
  I 
  found 
  plain 
  traces 
  of 
  their 
  long 
  

   occupation. 
  Their 
  tracks 
  were 
  everywhere 
  along 
  the 
  muddy 
  margin 
  of 
  a 
  little 
  stream, 
  

   and 
  abundant 
  but 
  old 
  " 
  sign 
  " 
  beneath 
  a 
  good-sized 
  pine-tree 
  revealed 
  their 
  one-time 
  

   roosting-place. 
  The 
  haunts 
  of 
  this 
  flock 
  of 
  birds 
  resembled 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  less 
  luxuriant 
  

   slopes 
  of 
  the 
  Himalayas 
  in 
  southern 
  Garhwal. 
  Dwarf 
  pines 
  were 
  dotted 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   thickly 
  over 
  the 
  slopes 
  and 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  knife-like 
  saddles 
  and 
  ridges. 
  In 
  sheltered 
  places 
  

   dense 
  growths 
  of 
  pine 
  appeared, 
  and 
  a 
  low 
  but 
  thick 
  undergrowth 
  of 
  grass 
  and 
  bamboo 
  

   covered 
  the 
  rather 
  scanty 
  soil. 
  This 
  growth 
  was 
  pale 
  buff 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  of 
  year, 
  in 
  sharp 
  

   contrast 
  to 
  the 
  deep 
  green 
  of 
  the 
  conifers. 
  Tits 
  and 
  siskins 
  twittered 
  in 
  the 
  cold 
  wind, 
  

   and 
  jackdaws 
  buffeted 
  with 
  the 
  gale 
  which 
  they 
  encountered 
  when 
  they 
  rose 
  above 
  the 
  

   shelter 
  of 
  the 
  ridges. 
  Aside 
  from 
  these, 
  the 
  country 
  seemed 
  bleak 
  and 
  deserted. 
  Only 
  

   the 
  hum 
  of 
  an 
  occasional 
  fly 
  in 
  a 
  sunny, 
  sheltered 
  hollow 
  hinted 
  of 
  the 
  warm 
  spring- 
  

   time 
  which 
  would 
  soon 
  transform 
  all 
  this 
  landscape. 
  

  

  Near 
  Nagasaki 
  I 
  found 
  the 
  pheasants 
  in 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  environment, 
  but 
  even 
  

   more 
  barren 
  and 
  desolate, 
  although 
  later 
  in 
  the 
  year. 
  I 
  had 
  time 
  merely 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  

   edge 
  of 
  a 
  wood 
  composed 
  chiefly 
  of 
  oaks, 
  and 
  spend 
  an 
  hour 
  or 
  two 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  the 
  

   birds, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  shot. 
  I 
  had 
  just 
  taken 
  my 
  glasses 
  from 
  a 
  long, 
  irregular 
  line 
  of 
  

   wagtails 
  — 
  migrating 
  birds 
  which 
  drifted 
  aimlessly 
  past, 
  uncertain 
  whether 
  to 
  alight 
  

   or 
  to 
  keep 
  on, 
  when 
  a 
  pheasant 
  ran 
  out 
  from 
  a 
  thicket 
  near 
  by, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  rush 
  of 
  wings 
  

   took 
  to 
  flight. 
  I 
  secured 
  it, 
  and 
  found 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  typical 
  Soemmerring 
  without 
  a 
  trace 
  of 
  

   white. 
  This 
  was 
  a 
  bleak 
  day 
  in 
  early 
  February, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  animal 
  food 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  

   able 
  to 
  find 
  was 
  several 
  earthworms. 
  In 
  the 
  crop 
  were 
  thirty-eight 
  acorns 
  of 
  medium 
  

   size, 
  besides 
  several 
  small 
  seeds. 
  The 
  market 
  birds 
  which 
  I 
  examined 
  had 
  been 
  feeding 
  

   upon 
  grubs 
  and 
  many 
  brown 
  lepidopterous 
  chrysalids. 
  

  

  