﻿IJIMA'S 
  COPPER 
  PHEASANT 
  173 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  From 
  my 
  own 
  observations 
  and 
  from 
  information 
  obtained 
  from 
  Japanese 
  sports- 
  

   men, 
  I 
  gathered 
  that 
  the 
  Kiusiu 
  Copper 
  Pheasant 
  is 
  extremely 
  sedentary, 
  and 
  seldom 
  

   wanders 
  far 
  from 
  its 
  home 
  range. 
  Indeed, 
  the 
  segregation 
  of 
  this 
  white-rumped 
  form 
  

   in 
  so 
  small 
  an 
  area 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  warrant 
  such 
  an 
  assumption 
  without 
  further 
  proof. 
  

  

  The 
  birds 
  live, 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  seen, 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  rugged, 
  mountainous 
  country, 
  keeping 
  

   well 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  steep 
  hillsides 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  time, 
  but 
  descending 
  into 
  the 
  valleys 
  to 
  the 
  

   ricefields 
  for 
  food 
  and 
  water. 
  During 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  when 
  the 
  rice 
  is 
  not 
  

   available 
  they 
  remain 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  ridges, 
  showing 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  sufficient 
  food 
  for 
  them 
  

   in 
  the 
  more 
  elevated 
  forests. 
  The 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Kirishimayama 
  is 
  typical 
  Ijima 
  Pheasant 
  

   country, 
  and 
  from 
  every 
  direction 
  we 
  can 
  see 
  this 
  splendid 
  double-peaked 
  mountain. 
  

   The 
  summits 
  are 
  at 
  present 
  dead 
  and 
  bare, 
  but 
  well 
  down 
  on 
  the 
  southern 
  slope, 
  

   sheltered 
  by 
  a 
  great 
  rounded 
  shoulder, 
  is 
  the 
  present 
  active 
  crater. 
  From 
  the 
  fringe 
  

   of 
  cryptomerias 
  which 
  surrounds 
  this 
  drifts 
  a 
  soft 
  billowing 
  blue 
  smoke 
  now 
  upward, 
  

   now 
  curling 
  gracefully 
  around 
  the 
  great 
  crags, 
  dissolving 
  so 
  soon 
  into 
  invisibility 
  that 
  

   it 
  looks 
  like 
  a 
  small, 
  isolated 
  cloud. 
  

  

  In 
  general 
  habits 
  Ijima's 
  Pheasant 
  differs 
  to 
  no 
  appreciable 
  extent 
  from 
  its 
  more 
  

   northern 
  relation 
  — 
  scintillans. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  less 
  pronounced 
  annual 
  migration, 
  as 
  the 
  

   weather 
  is 
  much 
  milder 
  even 
  at 
  the 
  higher 
  altitudes, 
  and 
  their 
  food 
  supply 
  is 
  probably 
  

   never 
  completely 
  shut 
  off 
  by 
  winter 
  storms. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  large 
  satsuma 
  factories 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  Japan 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   number 
  of 
  well-to-do 
  merchants, 
  many 
  of 
  whom 
  are 
  sportsmen. 
  Shortly 
  before 
  my 
  

   visit 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  had 
  shot 
  sixty 
  of 
  these 
  splendid 
  birds 
  in 
  a 
  comparatively 
  limited 
  area, 
  

   all 
  of 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  plucked 
  and 
  eaten. 
  So 
  this 
  very 
  local 
  form 
  seems 
  doomed 
  to 
  

   early 
  extinction, 
  especially 
  as 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  laws 
  to 
  prevent 
  its 
  being 
  killed 
  during 
  the 
  

   breeding 
  season. 
  In 
  all 
  Japan 
  there 
  is 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  score 
  of 
  preserved 
  skins 
  of 
  this 
  

   interesting 
  pheasant 
  : 
  six 
  specimens 
  in 
  two 
  local 
  schools 
  in 
  Kagoshima 
  and 
  nine 
  or 
  ten 
  

   in 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Tokyo. 
  

  

  DETAILED 
  DESCRIPTION 
  

  

  Adult 
  Male. 
  — 
  The 
  fundamental 
  pattern 
  of 
  almost 
  the 
  entire 
  plumage 
  is 
  a 
  dark, 
  

   rich 
  chestnut, 
  with 
  basal 
  black 
  extending 
  up 
  the 
  vanes 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  two 
  elongated, 
  

   anteriorly 
  rounded, 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  visible 
  spots. 
  The 
  chestnut 
  thus 
  occupies 
  most 
  of 
  

   the 
  terminal 
  visible 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  feather, 
  and 
  extends 
  basally 
  as 
  narrow 
  lines 
  down 
  

   each 
  margin 
  and 
  down 
  the 
  shaft. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  dominately 
  chestnut 
  with 
  a 
  vinous 
  cast, 
  

   but 
  on 
  the 
  neck, 
  mantle, 
  back 
  and 
  breast 
  a 
  conspicuous 
  metallic 
  margin 
  is 
  developed, 
  

   changing 
  from 
  vinous 
  carmine 
  to 
  fiery 
  gold. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  wing-coverts, 
  lower 
  sides, 
  posterior 
  breast 
  and 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  ventral 
  

   plumage 
  this 
  gloss 
  disappears, 
  the 
  vinous 
  chestnut 
  being 
  dominant. 
  On 
  the 
  wing- 
  

   coverts 
  and 
  lower 
  sides 
  the 
  basal 
  black 
  is 
  quite 
  conspicuous, 
  showing 
  distinctly 
  even 
  

   when 
  the 
  feathers 
  are 
  perfectly 
  aligned. 
  

  

  The 
  flight 
  feathers 
  resemble 
  those 
  of 
  soemmerringi. 
  The 
  white 
  markings 
  are 
  not 
  

   alike 
  on 
  any 
  two 
  individuals, 
  but 
  the 
  extreme 
  may 
  be 
  described 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  At 
  the 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  posterior 
  mantle, 
  almost 
  at 
  the 
  insertion 
  of 
  the 
  wing, 
  all 
  the 
  visible 
  portion 
  

  

  