﻿PHOTOGRAVURE 
  59 
  

  

  HAUNTS 
  OF 
  ELLIOT'S 
  PHEASANT 
  

  

  High 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  semi-bare 
  mountain 
  sides, 
  most 
  elaborate 
  and 
  ancient 
  Chinese 
  graves 
  are 
  occasionally 
  

   seen, 
  beautifully 
  carven, 
  yet 
  fitting 
  harmoniously 
  into 
  their 
  setting. 
  One 
  evening 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  cock 
  Elliot 
  

   Pheasant 
  make 
  his 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  stone 
  of 
  a 
  graceful 
  grave 
  balustrade. 
  After 
  preening 
  his 
  plumage 
  in 
  the 
  

   failing 
  light, 
  the 
  bird 
  hopped 
  down 
  and 
  settled 
  for 
  the 
  night 
  between 
  two 
  carven 
  blocks. 
  Curiously 
  enough, 
  

   he 
  roosted 
  head 
  inward, 
  tail 
  hanging 
  down 
  outside 
  facing 
  the 
  slope, 
  and, 
  to 
  my 
  way 
  of 
  thinking, 
  this 
  was 
  a 
  

   great 
  mistake, 
  for 
  any 
  marten 
  or 
  other 
  marauder 
  could 
  cut 
  off 
  the 
  bird's 
  only 
  way 
  of 
  escape. 
  However, 
  the 
  

   pheasant 
  doubtless 
  had 
  his 
  own 
  good 
  reasons 
  for 
  his 
  reversed 
  position. 
  As 
  I 
  slipped 
  away, 
  the 
  grave 
  was 
  

   beginning 
  to 
  be 
  silvered 
  by 
  the 
  moon, 
  and 
  I 
  left 
  the 
  living 
  bird 
  and 
  the 
  carven 
  phoenix 
  side 
  by 
  side. 
  

  

  