﻿SCINTILLATING 
  COPPER 
  PHEASANT 
  165 
  

  

  never 
  heard 
  of 
  them 
  complained 
  of 
  as 
  working 
  injury 
  to 
  crops. 
  Although 
  the 
  Copper 
  

   birds 
  range 
  much 
  higher 
  than 
  the 
  green 
  pheasants, 
  and 
  in 
  general 
  are 
  a 
  mountain- 
  

   loving 
  species, 
  yet 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  moderate 
  amount 
  of 
  cultivation, 
  even 
  on 
  the 
  

   coast, 
  these 
  birds 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  at 
  sea-level 
  closely 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  true 
  

   Phasianus. 
  

  

  Japanese 
  crops 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  are 
  those 
  requiring 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  water, 
  or 
  even, 
  in 
  

   the 
  case 
  of 
  rice, 
  an 
  actual 
  periodical 
  flooding. 
  Thus, 
  although 
  every 
  inch 
  of 
  available 
  

   land 
  is 
  appropriated, 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  for 
  generations, 
  yet 
  on 
  rocky 
  slopes, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   tops 
  of 
  hills 
  and 
  mountains, 
  the 
  forests 
  have 
  been 
  carefully 
  conserved 
  in 
  startling 
  

   contrast 
  to 
  the 
  miles 
  of 
  barren 
  wastes 
  in 
  China. 
  In 
  these 
  primitive 
  isolated 
  or 
  narrowly 
  

   linear 
  tracts 
  the 
  native 
  fauna 
  still 
  holds 
  its 
  own, 
  often 
  greatly 
  to 
  the 
  trouble 
  and 
  loss 
  

   of 
  the 
  farmers 
  in 
  the 
  neighbouring 
  valleys. 
  Here 
  the 
  Copper 
  Pheasants 
  make 
  their 
  

   home, 
  and 
  here 
  they 
  must 
  often 
  be 
  subjected 
  to 
  severity 
  of 
  weather, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  

   northern 
  parts 
  of 
  Honda. 
  As 
  a 
  result 
  the 
  birds 
  in 
  winter 
  are 
  forced 
  to 
  descend 
  to 
  lower 
  

   levels, 
  and 
  at 
  this 
  season 
  may 
  sometimes 
  actually 
  be 
  found 
  to 
  outnumber 
  the 
  green 
  

   pheasants 
  at 
  the 
  lower 
  levels. 
  In 
  the 
  spring 
  the 
  Copper 
  birds 
  again 
  ascend 
  to 
  breed 
  

   among 
  the 
  pines 
  and 
  bamboos 
  of 
  the 
  mountains. 
  

  

  In 
  more 
  sheltered 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  the 
  pheasants 
  are 
  decidedly 
  resident, 
  and 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  year, 
  where 
  not 
  shot 
  or 
  persecuted, 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  relatively 
  constant 
  

   numbers 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  coverts 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  valley 
  slope. 
  The 
  birds 
  are 
  very 
  generally 
  

   distributed, 
  and 
  while 
  not 
  abundant 
  everywhere, 
  yet 
  in 
  suitable 
  cover, 
  where 
  one 
  is 
  seen 
  

   or 
  heard, 
  there 
  will 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  be 
  found 
  others. 
  

  

  Copper 
  Pheasants 
  are 
  not 
  especially 
  sociable 
  birds, 
  and 
  almost 
  never 
  associate 
  in 
  

   true 
  flocks, 
  except 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  temporary 
  enforced 
  assemblage 
  for 
  purposes 
  of 
  

   feeding. 
  The 
  young 
  remain 
  with 
  their 
  mother 
  throughout 
  the 
  winter 
  long 
  after 
  they 
  

   have 
  acquired 
  adult 
  plumage. 
  

  

  In 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  green 
  pheasant 
  the 
  Coppers 
  are 
  extremely 
  silent 
  birds. 
  In 
  

   all 
  the 
  accounts 
  thus 
  far 
  written, 
  the 
  notes 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  bird 
  have 
  been 
  accredited 
  to 
  the 
  

   latter. 
  Kiji 
  is 
  the 
  native 
  name 
  for 
  versicolor, 
  the 
  green 
  bird, 
  and 
  is 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  broken 
  

   crow, 
  which 
  is 
  so 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  or 
  ring-necked 
  pheasant. 
  The 
  Copper 
  

   Pheasant, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  could 
  ascertain, 
  crows 
  only 
  during 
  the 
  mating 
  season, 
  and 
  then 
  in 
  

   the 
  morning 
  and 
  evening. 
  

  

  The 
  gait 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  is 
  not 
  especially 
  pleasing. 
  As 
  I 
  have 
  watched 
  them 
  in 
  a 
  

   wild 
  state, 
  their 
  carriage 
  seemed 
  to 
  have 
  less 
  grace 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  more 
  short-tailed 
  species. 
  

   So 
  wary 
  are 
  they, 
  however, 
  that 
  even 
  in 
  captivity 
  one 
  can 
  seldom 
  see 
  them 
  walking 
  with 
  

   perfect 
  freedom 
  — 
  they 
  are 
  almost 
  always 
  partly 
  crouching 
  or 
  swiftly 
  running. 
  Their 
  

   flight 
  is 
  much 
  stronger 
  and 
  more 
  sustained 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  green 
  pheasant, 
  and 
  serves 
  

   to 
  carry 
  them 
  across 
  any 
  valley, 
  however 
  wide, 
  or 
  in 
  one 
  burst 
  of 
  speed 
  from 
  high 
  up 
  on 
  

   a 
  mountain-side 
  to 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  far 
  below. 
  

  

  The 
  food 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  usually 
  varied 
  character. 
  I 
  have 
  observed 
  earth-worms, 
  small 
  

   molluscs, 
  insects 
  of 
  almost 
  all 
  orders, 
  and 
  other 
  animal 
  food 
  composing 
  perhaps 
  one- 
  

   third 
  of 
  their 
  total 
  diet, 
  while 
  berries, 
  grain, 
  acorns, 
  nuts, 
  seeds, 
  fern-tops, 
  tender 
  leaves, 
  

   moss, 
  and 
  the 
  petals 
  of 
  flowers 
  are 
  all 
  eaten 
  in 
  quantities, 
  the 
  latter 
  occasionally 
  filling 
  

   the 
  crop 
  to 
  the 
  exclusion 
  of 
  all 
  else. 
  Both 
  sexes 
  scratch 
  vigorously 
  in 
  the 
  earth, 
  but 
  with 
  

   no 
  system, 
  even 
  where 
  grubs 
  and 
  other 
  food 
  are 
  abundant, 
  digging 
  shallow 
  holes 
  here 
  

  

  