﻿198 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  cannot 
  agree 
  with 
  Dr. 
  Moltrecht 
  that 
  the 
  females 
  of 
  this 
  Pheasant 
  are 
  found 
  at 
  

   a 
  lower 
  altitude 
  than 
  the 
  males. 
  I 
  met 
  with 
  both 
  sexes 
  together, 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  season 
  of 
  

   the 
  year, 
  at 
  any 
  altitude 
  above 
  six 
  thousand 
  feet 
  along 
  the 
  Arizan 
  region 
  ; 
  below 
  that 
  

   elevation 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  believe 
  they 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found. 
  I 
  questioned 
  the 
  savages 
  about 
  this 
  

   repeatedly, 
  and 
  they 
  all 
  agreed 
  with 
  me 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  so. 
  The 
  Arizan 
  forests 
  slope 
  up 
  

   from 
  the 
  west, 
  culminating 
  in 
  a 
  sharp, 
  razor-backed 
  ridge 
  running 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  for 
  

   many 
  miles. 
  From 
  about 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  this, 
  the 
  great 
  bulk 
  of 
  Arizan 
  itself 
  bulges 
  out 
  to 
  

   the 
  west, 
  ending 
  in 
  huge 
  precipices. 
  Everywhere 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  the 
  ridge 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  

   dense 
  forest, 
  with 
  a 
  still 
  denser 
  undergrowth 
  of 
  scrub-bamboo 
  averaging 
  about 
  seven 
  

   feet 
  high. 
  Above 
  six 
  thousand 
  feet, 
  giant 
  cypress-trees 
  predominate, 
  with 
  many 
  

   junipers 
  and 
  pines 
  just 
  along 
  the 
  ridge. 
  

  

  " 
  To 
  the 
  south, 
  where 
  I 
  pitched 
  my 
  first 
  camp, 
  great 
  oaks 
  were 
  quite 
  as 
  numerous 
  

   as 
  cypresses. 
  On 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  ridge, 
  facing 
  Mount 
  Morrison, 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  deep 
  valley 
  

   with 
  remarkably 
  steep 
  sides. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  it 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  high 
  grass, 
  and 
  in 
  

   others 
  with 
  trees. 
  It 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  ledges 
  among 
  the 
  latter 
  that 
  the 
  Mikado 
  Pheasant 
  

   permanently 
  lives 
  and 
  probably 
  breeds. 
  Almost 
  everywhere 
  it 
  is 
  much 
  too 
  steep 
  for 
  any 
  

   one 
  to 
  descend 
  very 
  far 
  ; 
  were 
  it 
  not 
  so, 
  I 
  should 
  probably 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  obtain 
  more 
  

   living 
  birds 
  than 
  I 
  did. 
  Failing 
  this, 
  the 
  only 
  way 
  was 
  to 
  set 
  the 
  snares 
  for 
  catching 
  

   them 
  along 
  the 
  top, 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  way 
  down 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  ridge. 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  the 
  early 
  mornings 
  and 
  evenings 
  the 
  birds 
  came 
  over 
  the 
  ridge 
  to 
  feed, 
  but 
  

   descended 
  only 
  a 
  very 
  short 
  distance. 
  If 
  any 
  were 
  flushed 
  they 
  always 
  flew 
  straight 
  up 
  

   the 
  ridge 
  and 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  side, 
  but 
  on 
  two 
  occasions 
  a 
  cock 
  bird 
  alighted 
  in 
  a 
  pine- 
  

   tree 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  and 
  remained 
  there 
  until 
  the 
  hens 
  had 
  time 
  to 
  get 
  away 
  below. 
  It 
  was 
  

   very 
  rarely 
  that 
  we 
  saw 
  the 
  birds, 
  for 
  they 
  were 
  very 
  scattered 
  and 
  nowhere 
  numerous. 
  

   On 
  two 
  occasions 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  pair, 
  once 
  two 
  hens, 
  and 
  again 
  at 
  another 
  time 
  a 
  cock 
  with 
  

   two 
  hens. 
  That 
  was 
  the 
  sum 
  total 
  seen 
  during 
  three 
  months. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  cocks 
  I 
  shot, 
  

   as 
  I 
  then 
  had 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  living 
  males. 
  

  

  "On 
  my 
  way 
  to 
  meet 
  Mr. 
  Elwes 
  on 
  his 
  arrival 
  at 
  Arizan 
  I 
  flushed 
  the 
  cock 
  with 
  

   two 
  hens 
  mentioned 
  above. 
  The 
  latter 
  instantly 
  flew 
  away 
  down 
  the 
  cliffs, 
  but 
  the 
  cock 
  

   remained 
  behind 
  among 
  the 
  ferns 
  clucking 
  like 
  a 
  hen 
  with 
  chickens. 
  I 
  was 
  accompanied 
  

   by 
  a 
  savage, 
  and 
  together 
  we 
  went 
  to 
  investigate, 
  and 
  when 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  yards 
  of 
  the 
  

   spot 
  a 
  fine 
  cock 
  Mikado 
  rose 
  and 
  went 
  right 
  over 
  the 
  cliffs, 
  like 
  an 
  arrow. 
  I 
  had 
  

   a 
  continuous 
  view 
  of 
  him 
  until 
  he 
  alighted 
  in 
  the 
  trees 
  below, 
  and 
  very 
  beautiful 
  he 
  

   looked 
  with 
  his 
  long 
  white-barred 
  tail 
  ; 
  otherwise 
  he 
  appeared 
  quite 
  black 
  on 
  the 
  wing. 
  

   With 
  the 
  exception 
  mentioned 
  above, 
  all 
  the 
  skins 
  I 
  obtained 
  were 
  those 
  of 
  birds 
  which 
  

   had 
  died 
  in 
  the 
  snares 
  or 
  had 
  been 
  otherwise 
  injured. 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  had 
  from 
  the 
  first 
  with 
  much 
  difficulty 
  impressed 
  upon 
  the 
  savages 
  that 
  they 
  

   were 
  never 
  to 
  shoot 
  pheasants, 
  as 
  there 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  few 
  in 
  any 
  one 
  district. 
  At 
  first 
  

   I 
  tried 
  various 
  methods 
  of 
  catching 
  them, 
  but 
  none 
  succeeded 
  ; 
  so 
  at 
  last 
  I 
  was 
  forced 
  to 
  

   depend 
  upon 
  the 
  savages' 
  plan, 
  which 
  was 
  effectual, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  the 
  birds 
  ran 
  a 
  

   great 
  chance 
  of 
  being 
  seriously 
  damaged. 
  The 
  snares 
  were 
  set 
  for 
  many 
  miles 
  along 
  the 
  

   ridge 
  and 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  forests, 
  several 
  hundreds 
  being 
  put 
  down 
  simultaneously. 
  

  

  " 
  It 
  was 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  question 
  trying 
  to 
  attract 
  them 
  with 
  grain, 
  raisins, 
  or 
  other 
  food. 
  

   I 
  tried 
  these 
  at 
  first 
  without 
  any 
  success, 
  and 
  when 
  I 
  secured 
  my 
  first 
  living 
  examples 
  I 
  

   soon 
  found 
  out 
  the 
  reason. 
  It 
  was 
  most 
  difficult 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  birds 
  to 
  eat 
  grain, 
  one 
  or 
  

  

  