﻿1 
  66 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  and 
  there 
  with 
  no 
  such 
  methodical 
  sequence 
  between 
  them 
  as 
  we 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  

   impeyan 
  and 
  the 
  cheer. 
  

  

  These 
  birds 
  roost 
  in 
  trees, 
  usually 
  in 
  pines, 
  even 
  where 
  maples 
  and 
  oaks 
  are 
  

   abundant. 
  The 
  roosting 
  branches 
  used 
  respectively 
  by 
  a 
  solitary 
  male 
  and 
  by 
  three 
  

   females 
  or 
  young 
  birds 
  were 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  fifteen 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  ground, 
  in 
  trees 
  

   growing 
  on 
  steep 
  slopes. 
  

  

  I 
  observed 
  no 
  association 
  with 
  mammals 
  or 
  with 
  small 
  birds, 
  as 
  is 
  so 
  common 
  a 
  

   habit 
  with 
  other 
  pheasants. 
  The 
  very 
  places 
  which 
  serve 
  as 
  shelters 
  for 
  the 
  Copper 
  

   Pheasants 
  are 
  also 
  tenanted 
  by 
  foxes 
  and 
  weasels, 
  and 
  the 
  very 
  limited 
  areas 
  affording 
  

   such 
  shelter 
  well 
  accounts 
  for 
  the 
  great 
  timidity 
  of 
  these 
  birds. 
  They 
  must, 
  indeed, 
  ever 
  

   be 
  on 
  the 
  watch 
  to 
  evade 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  their 
  four-footed, 
  and 
  as 
  I 
  had 
  good 
  evidence 
  in 
  

   Kiusiu, 
  of 
  their 
  winged 
  enemies. 
  The 
  half-wild 
  house 
  cats 
  probably 
  do 
  not 
  work 
  such 
  

   havoc 
  among 
  these 
  lovers 
  of 
  higher 
  regions 
  as 
  among 
  the 
  green 
  pheasants. 
  

  

  Even 
  when 
  warned 
  well 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  clanger, 
  the 
  hens 
  are 
  not 
  as 
  habitual 
  squatters 
  

   as 
  we 
  should 
  expect 
  from 
  their 
  dull 
  mottled 
  plumage. 
  The 
  males 
  are 
  off 
  at 
  once, 
  

   running 
  with 
  great 
  rapidity 
  or 
  flying 
  headlong. 
  The 
  females 
  squat 
  for 
  a 
  moment, 
  then 
  

   run 
  a 
  short 
  distance, 
  then 
  squat 
  until 
  they 
  gain 
  the 
  dense 
  shelter 
  of 
  bamboos 
  or 
  other 
  

   vegetation. 
  

  

  HOME 
  LIFE 
  

  

  The 
  Scintillating 
  Copper 
  Pheasant 
  varies 
  considerably 
  in 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  nesting, 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  being 
  deposited 
  much 
  earlier 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  sheltered 
  warmer 
  parts 
  of 
  

   southern 
  Honda. 
  In 
  the 
  latitude 
  of 
  Tokyo 
  the 
  birds 
  nest 
  about 
  April, 
  the 
  hens 
  usually 
  

   beginning 
  to 
  sit 
  by 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  month. 
  

  

  Seven 
  to 
  thirteen 
  eggs 
  are 
  deposited 
  in 
  a 
  hollow 
  in 
  the 
  ground, 
  with 
  lining- 
  

   composed 
  only 
  of 
  what 
  leaves 
  or 
  moss 
  happened 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  depression. 
  The 
  nests 
  are 
  

   invariably 
  placed 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  a 
  tree, 
  a 
  pine 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  cases 
  which 
  have 
  come 
  

   under 
  my 
  observation. 
  Seven 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  rather 
  usual 
  number 
  of 
  eggs, 
  for 
  in 
  five 
  

   instances 
  in 
  captivity, 
  two 
  in 
  my 
  own 
  experience, 
  and 
  three 
  recorded 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  Bulletin 
  de 
  

   la 
  Socidte 
  Acclimatation," 
  a 
  hen 
  Copper 
  Pheasant 
  laid 
  fourteen 
  eggs 
  in 
  groups 
  of 
  seven 
  

   in 
  two, 
  and 
  in 
  one 
  case 
  in 
  three 
  consecutive 
  years. 
  The 
  three 
  nests 
  of 
  wild 
  birds 
  with 
  

   completed 
  sets 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  found, 
  or 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  by 
  Japanese, 
  contained 
  nine, 
  ten, 
  

   and 
  thirteen 
  eggs 
  respectively. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  uniformly 
  cream-coloured, 
  and 
  measure 
  

   from 
  30 
  to 
  39 
  mm. 
  in 
  breadth 
  by 
  46 
  to 
  49 
  in 
  length. 
  

  

  I 
  saw 
  no 
  fighting 
  among 
  wild 
  birds, 
  but 
  Copper 
  Pheasant 
  cocks 
  in 
  captivity 
  have 
  

   most 
  unenviable 
  reputation 
  for 
  pugnacity, 
  attacking 
  and 
  killing 
  not 
  only 
  cock 
  birds 
  of 
  

   their 
  own 
  and 
  of 
  other 
  species, 
  but 
  even 
  the 
  hens. 
  The 
  particularly 
  nervous 
  and 
  wary 
  

   character 
  of 
  these 
  pheasants 
  probably 
  accounts 
  for 
  this. 
  Their 
  spurs 
  are 
  stout, 
  but 
  not 
  

   of 
  great 
  length, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  they 
  indulge 
  in 
  battles 
  of 
  nearly 
  so 
  

   savage 
  a 
  character 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  firebacks. 
  

  

  What 
  evidence 
  we 
  have 
  in 
  captivity 
  points 
  to 
  a 
  decided 
  polygamy, 
  but 
  from 
  what 
  I 
  

   have 
  seen 
  and 
  heard 
  of 
  the 
  pheasants 
  in 
  a 
  wild 
  state, 
  I 
  believe 
  they 
  are 
  as 
  often 
  

   monogamous 
  as 
  polygamous. 
  

  

  The 
  incubation 
  lasts 
  about 
  twenty-four 
  days, 
  and 
  the 
  chicks 
  are 
  strong 
  and 
  can 
  run 
  

   with 
  considerable 
  speed 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  after 
  hatching. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  can 
  move 
  readily 
  

  

  