﻿SCINTILLATING 
  COPPER 
  PHEASANT 
  

  

  Syrmaticus 
  soemmerringi 
  scintillans 
  (Gould) 
  

  

  NAMES. 
  — 
  Specific 
  : 
  scintillans, 
  from 
  the 
  Latin 
  scintilla, 
  a 
  spark, 
  sparkle. 
  English 
  : 
  Shining 
  or 
  Scintillating 
  

   Copper 
  Pheasant, 
  Honda 
  Copper 
  Pheasant. 
  Native 
  : 
  Yamadori 
  (Mountain 
  Bird, 
  Japanese). 
  

  

  Brief 
  Description. 
  — 
  Male 
  : 
  Similar 
  to 
  soemmerringi, 
  but 
  in 
  general 
  much 
  paler 
  red, 
  the 
  pigment 
  of 
  the 
  

   entire 
  plumage 
  thoroughly 
  diluted 
  with 
  white 
  ; 
  in 
  extreme 
  individuals 
  the 
  entire 
  lower 
  mantle, 
  back, 
  rump 
  and 
  

   wing-coverts 
  show 
  broad 
  latero-terminal 
  white 
  spots, 
  giving 
  the 
  plumage 
  a 
  streaked 
  effect 
  ; 
  posterior 
  under 
  parts 
  

   broadly 
  margined 
  all 
  around 
  with 
  buffy 
  white 
  ; 
  tail-feathers 
  very 
  pale, 
  with 
  narrow 
  blackish 
  bars, 
  followed 
  by 
  

   narrow 
  chocolate 
  bars 
  and 
  wide 
  interspaces 
  of 
  pale 
  rufous 
  fading 
  posteriorly 
  into 
  buffy 
  white 
  and 
  mottled 
  with 
  

   black. 
  Female 
  : 
  This 
  sex 
  shows 
  no 
  constant 
  characters 
  separating 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  corresponding 
  sex 
  of 
  soemmerringi. 
  

  

  RANGE. 
  — 
  Honda 
  and 
  north-western 
  Kiusiu. 
  

  

  THE 
  BIRD 
  IN 
  ITS 
  HAUNTS 
  

  

  The 
  little 
  Japanese 
  pony 
  that 
  pulled 
  my 
  rough 
  country 
  cart 
  was 
  altogether 
  too 
  full 
  

   of 
  ambition. 
  He 
  persisted 
  in 
  breaking 
  into 
  a 
  full 
  run 
  at 
  every 
  opportunity, 
  and 
  as 
  

   I 
  was 
  jammed 
  into 
  the 
  back 
  seat 
  beyond 
  all 
  possibility 
  of 
  escape, 
  it 
  was 
  disheartening 
  

   to 
  be 
  whirled 
  around 
  corners 
  on 
  one 
  wheel 
  with 
  a 
  constant 
  chance 
  of 
  overturning. 
  

   I 
  could 
  thus 
  pay 
  but 
  little 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  country 
  through 
  which 
  I 
  was 
  passing. 
  

   At 
  last, 
  however, 
  my 
  driver 
  let 
  the 
  beast 
  have 
  his 
  way 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  an 
  extremely 
  steep 
  

   hill, 
  and 
  before 
  we 
  had 
  reached 
  the 
  summit 
  the 
  horse 
  was 
  walking 
  and 
  his 
  spirit 
  was 
  

   broken 
  for 
  the 
  day. 
  

  

  We 
  had 
  left 
  the 
  toy 
  villages 
  and 
  paper 
  houses 
  behind 
  and 
  were 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  

   country. 
  Armed 
  with 
  an 
  elaborate 
  official 
  passport, 
  I 
  was 
  bound 
  for 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   Emperor's 
  preserves, 
  which 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  happened 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  training-ground 
  for 
  troops 
  

   as 
  well. 
  Our 
  road 
  seemed 
  never 
  level. 
  We 
  went 
  up 
  and 
  down 
  over 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  

   intersecting 
  ridges, 
  radiating 
  in 
  all 
  directions. 
  The 
  few 
  less 
  steep 
  slopes 
  were 
  all 
  

   converted 
  into 
  the 
  usual 
  series 
  of 
  terraced 
  rice-fields, 
  but 
  these 
  became 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  

   infrequent, 
  and 
  finally 
  nothing 
  but 
  wild 
  vegetation 
  met 
  the 
  eye. 
  This 
  was 
  my 
  third 
  

   attempt 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  after 
  several 
  trips 
  made 
  in 
  vain 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  a 
  Copper 
  Pheasant's 
  

   nest. 
  

  

  I 
  now 
  gladly 
  left 
  the 
  cart, 
  and 
  began 
  a 
  long 
  cross-country 
  march. 
  After 
  a 
  few 
  

   steps 
  I 
  heard 
  the 
  distant 
  crow 
  of 
  a 
  pheasant 
  — 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  green 
  Phasianus 
  — 
  and 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  day 
  this 
  sound 
  was 
  the 
  one 
  most 
  frequently 
  heard. 
  I 
  was 
  in 
  search 
  

   of 
  the 
  northern 
  Copper 
  Pheasant, 
  scintillans, 
  however, 
  and 
  paid 
  no 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  

   more 
  common 
  species. 
  

  

  As 
  I 
  walked 
  along 
  through 
  the 
  symmetrically 
  moulded 
  valleys, 
  the 
  slope 
  on 
  

   one 
  hand 
  would 
  be 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  dense, 
  drooping 
  garb 
  of 
  soft 
  ferns, 
  green, 
  russet 
  and 
  

   buff 
  blending 
  harmoniously 
  together. 
  The 
  opposite 
  hillside 
  might 
  support 
  a 
  waving, 
  

  

  162 
  

  

  