﻿192 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  DISTRIBUTION 
  

  

  The 
  range 
  of 
  Elliot's 
  Pheasant, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  know 
  it 
  at 
  present, 
  includes 
  those 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  three 
  provinces 
  of 
  Chekiang, 
  Kiangsi 
  and 
  Fokien 
  which 
  lie 
  south 
  of 
  31 
  N. 
  lat. 
  ; 
  

   east 
  of 
  1 
  1 
  7 
  E. 
  long. 
  ; 
  and 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  parallel 
  of 
  25 
  N. 
  lat. 
  The 
  records 
  have 
  been 
  

   sporadic, 
  and 
  the 
  bird 
  doubtless 
  extends 
  much 
  farther 
  into 
  the 
  interior 
  than 
  we 
  are 
  

   aware. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  This 
  bird 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  mountains, 
  living 
  at 
  moderate 
  elevations 
  in 
  the 
  forests 
  

   or 
  among 
  dense 
  bamboo 
  undergrowth. 
  David's 
  statement, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  quoted 
  by- 
  

   all 
  succeeding 
  writers, 
  that 
  Elliot's 
  Pheasant 
  is 
  constantly 
  on 
  the 
  move, 
  being 
  found 
  in 
  

   a 
  locality 
  one 
  season 
  and 
  then 
  disappearing 
  for 
  several 
  successive 
  years, 
  was 
  based 
  on 
  

   the 
  assertions 
  of 
  natives, 
  and 
  I 
  could 
  find 
  no 
  confirmation 
  of 
  a 
  habit 
  so 
  unusual 
  in 
  a 
  

   gallinaceous 
  bird. 
  The 
  birds 
  are 
  certainly 
  not 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  range 
  with 
  

   which 
  we 
  are 
  familiar, 
  but 
  when 
  they 
  disappear 
  from 
  any 
  locality 
  it 
  is 
  because 
  they 
  have 
  

   been 
  exterminated. 
  They 
  have 
  no 
  greater 
  tendency 
  to 
  wander 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  

   well-known 
  pheasants, 
  and 
  are 
  certainly 
  less 
  nomadic 
  than 
  the 
  eared 
  pheasants. 
  

  

  Indeed, 
  at 
  the 
  altitudes 
  at 
  which 
  they 
  live 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  necessity 
  for 
  leaving 
  

   their 
  haunts, 
  even 
  in 
  winter, 
  and 
  the 
  villagers 
  in 
  several 
  places 
  told 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  

   remained 
  on 
  neighbouring 
  slopes 
  throughout 
  the 
  entire 
  year. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  doubt, 
  however, 
  that 
  these 
  pheasants 
  are 
  extremely 
  local 
  and 
  not 
  

   abundant 
  anywhere. 
  They 
  are 
  very 
  timid 
  birds, 
  and 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  extent 
  this 
  may 
  

   account 
  for 
  their 
  apparent 
  scarcity. 
  Their 
  silence 
  is 
  another 
  factor 
  in 
  keeping 
  their 
  

   presence 
  from 
  being 
  known, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  heard 
  these 
  birds 
  utter 
  a 
  sound 
  except 
  

   under 
  the 
  provocation 
  of 
  extreme 
  fear, 
  or 
  again 
  when, 
  feeding 
  quietly 
  together, 
  they 
  give 
  

   voice 
  to 
  the 
  usual 
  low 
  phasianine 
  murmur 
  or 
  chuckle. 
  

  

  Elliot's 
  Pheasants 
  are 
  not 
  especially 
  good 
  flyers, 
  and, 
  of 
  course, 
  always 
  prefer 
  to 
  use 
  

   their 
  legs 
  for 
  locomotion. 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  them 
  fly 
  uphill, 
  but 
  when 
  flushed 
  well 
  up 
  

   on 
  a 
  slope 
  they 
  rise 
  quickly, 
  and 
  when 
  clear 
  of 
  the 
  surrounding 
  vegetation 
  veer 
  outward, 
  

   cease 
  beating 
  and 
  scale 
  slowly 
  downward, 
  giving 
  a 
  single 
  flap 
  now 
  and 
  then. 
  When 
  

   seen 
  thus 
  in 
  clear 
  sunlight 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  beautiful, 
  their 
  varied 
  markings 
  producing 
  a 
  

   harlequin 
  effect 
  unlike 
  that 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  pheasant. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  thing 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  recorded 
  in 
  literature 
  concerning 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  this 
  

   species 
  is 
  Swinhoe's 
  note 
  of 
  a 
  bird 
  which 
  had 
  its 
  crop 
  crammed 
  with 
  seed-pods, 
  seeds, 
  

   berries 
  and 
  several 
  kinds 
  of 
  leaves. 
  The 
  birds 
  which 
  I 
  shot 
  or 
  have 
  had 
  sent 
  to 
  me 
  

   were 
  consistent 
  in 
  this 
  vegetable 
  diet, 
  and 
  seemed 
  to 
  prefer 
  a 
  small, 
  cherry-like 
  berry 
  

   growing 
  on 
  a 
  trailing 
  vine. 
  No 
  aromatic 
  leaves 
  were 
  eaten, 
  unlike 
  the 
  preference 
  shown 
  

   by 
  the 
  tragopans 
  and 
  others. 
  A 
  few 
  remains 
  of 
  ants 
  were 
  the 
  only 
  hints 
  of 
  animal 
  diet. 
  

  

  I 
  could 
  learn 
  nothing 
  at 
  first 
  hand 
  of 
  the 
  roosting 
  places 
  of 
  these 
  birds, 
  except 
  where, 
  

   in 
  several 
  cases, 
  I 
  found 
  unmistakable 
  signs 
  that 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  were 
  roosting 
  in 
  the 
  

   interstices 
  of 
  the 
  balustrade 
  of 
  an 
  ancient 
  Chinese 
  grave. 
  One 
  evening 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  cock 
  

   pheasant 
  actually 
  come 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  place, 
  and 
  after 
  preening 
  his 
  plumage 
  in 
  the 
  failing 
  

   light, 
  hop 
  down 
  and 
  settle 
  for 
  the 
  night 
  between 
  two 
  carved 
  blocks. 
  Curiously 
  enough 
  

   he 
  roosted 
  head 
  inward, 
  tail 
  hanging 
  down 
  outside, 
  facing 
  the 
  slope. 
  To 
  my 
  way 
  of 
  

   thinking, 
  this 
  was 
  a 
  great 
  mistake. 
  Any 
  marten 
  or 
  other 
  marauder 
  could 
  cut 
  off 
  the 
  

  

  