﻿MIKADO 
  PHEASANT 
  199 
  

  

  two 
  being 
  particularly 
  obstinate 
  in 
  this 
  respect. 
  Had 
  it 
  not 
  been 
  for 
  the 
  soft 
  food 
  I 
  had 
  

   with 
  me, 
  I 
  question 
  if 
  I 
  should 
  have 
  succeeded 
  in 
  keeping 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  alive. 
  As 
  it 
  

   was 
  none 
  of 
  them 
  died, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  two 
  which 
  were 
  accidentally 
  killed 
  on 
  

   Arizan, 
  all 
  arrived 
  safely 
  in 
  this 
  country. 
  In 
  a 
  wild 
  state 
  (at 
  any 
  rate 
  during 
  the 
  months 
  

   I 
  was 
  there) 
  they 
  appeared 
  to 
  live 
  almost 
  exclusively 
  on 
  green 
  stuff. 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  

   identify 
  the 
  plant, 
  which 
  was 
  growing 
  everywhere, 
  through 
  finding 
  some 
  freshly 
  plucked 
  

   leaves 
  in 
  the 
  crop 
  of 
  a 
  bird 
  I 
  had 
  skinned; 
  after 
  that 
  I 
  had 
  no 
  further 
  trouble 
  with 
  them 
  

   until 
  they 
  took 
  to 
  grain. 
  In 
  the 
  crops 
  of 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  I 
  found 
  insects, 
  but 
  during 
  the 
  

   winter 
  months 
  all 
  insect 
  life 
  was 
  very 
  scarce 
  indeed. 
  A 
  food 
  they 
  must 
  find 
  plentiful 
  at 
  

   certain 
  seasons 
  is 
  the 
  wild 
  strawberry, 
  which 
  during 
  my 
  stay 
  was 
  mostly 
  in 
  bloom. 
  In 
  

   the 
  snares 
  set 
  for 
  pheasants 
  were 
  caught 
  tree 
  partridges 
  {Arboricola 
  crudigularis), 
  

   Columba 
  pulcricollis, 
  Trochalopterum 
  morrisonianum, 
  two 
  woodcocks, 
  and 
  a 
  monkey. 
  

  

  "The 
  martin 
  is, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  the 
  great 
  enemy 
  of 
  the 
  Mikado 
  Pheasant, 
  and 
  probably 
  

   that 
  is 
  why 
  they 
  are 
  so 
  scarce. 
  These 
  animals 
  were 
  a 
  constant 
  source 
  of 
  trouble 
  to 
  me 
  

   and 
  frightened 
  my 
  live 
  birds 
  considerably. 
  Night 
  after 
  night 
  they 
  came 
  into 
  the 
  camp 
  

   in 
  the 
  boldest 
  manner 
  and 
  made 
  sleep 
  impossible. 
  Traps 
  were 
  of 
  no 
  avail, 
  and 
  to 
  shoot 
  

   them 
  under 
  the 
  circumstances 
  was 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  question, 
  even 
  if 
  one 
  had 
  had 
  the 
  

   opportunity. 
  

  

  " 
  Both 
  sexes 
  of 
  the 
  Mikado 
  make 
  a 
  loud 
  cheeping 
  noise 
  like 
  young 
  turkeys, 
  

   especially 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  morning, 
  and 
  when 
  frightened 
  or 
  disturbed 
  the 
  male 
  hisses 
  like 
  a 
  

   snake. 
  Undoubtedly 
  the 
  skins 
  fade 
  quickly, 
  for 
  already 
  those 
  procured 
  are 
  less 
  bright 
  

   than 
  they 
  were 
  and 
  not 
  nearly 
  so 
  brilliant 
  as 
  the 
  living 
  birds, 
  which 
  are 
  resplendent. 
  

   They 
  appear 
  to 
  nest 
  about 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  April, 
  for 
  those 
  I 
  skinned 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  that 
  

   month 
  were 
  just 
  coming 
  into 
  breeding 
  condition, 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  hens 
  commenced 
  to 
  lay 
  

   early 
  in 
  May 
  ; 
  the 
  other 
  two, 
  being 
  younger 
  birds, 
  have 
  not 
  laid 
  this 
  year." 
  

  

  This 
  data 
  was 
  obtained 
  during 
  a 
  second 
  expedition 
  made 
  to 
  Formosa 
  in 
  January 
  

   1912 
  with 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  securing 
  living 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  Mikado 
  Pheasant. 
  With 
  this 
  

   object 
  in 
  view, 
  the 
  collector 
  made 
  two 
  camps 
  on 
  Mount 
  Arizan, 
  at 
  seven 
  and 
  eight 
  

   thousand 
  feet 
  respectively. 
  With 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  the 
  savage 
  natives 
  he 
  succeeded, 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  

   read, 
  in 
  obtaining 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  specimens. 
  As 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  this 
  expedition, 
  eleven 
  skins 
  

   and 
  an 
  equal 
  number 
  of 
  living 
  birds 
  were 
  brought 
  to 
  England. 
  The 
  latter, 
  eight 
  males 
  

   and 
  three 
  females, 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  pleasure 
  of 
  seeing 
  in 
  the 
  aviaries 
  of 
  Mrs. 
  Johnstone. 
  Later 
  

   these 
  birds 
  found 
  their 
  way 
  to 
  various 
  aviaries, 
  and 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  secure 
  three 
  for 
  the 
  

   New 
  York 
  Zoological 
  Park. 
  As 
  with 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  rare 
  pheasants 
  in 
  past 
  years, 
  

   these 
  first 
  birds 
  laid 
  freely 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  were 
  hatched 
  with. 
  such 
  ease 
  that 
  many 
  people 
  

   believed 
  that 
  this 
  species 
  would 
  equal 
  or 
  surpass 
  the 
  common 
  pheasant 
  as 
  a 
  semi- 
  

   domestic 
  bird, 
  but 
  the 
  second 
  generation 
  has 
  not 
  fulfilled 
  the 
  hopes 
  aroused 
  by 
  the 
  

   first. 
  

  

  This 
  splendid 
  lot 
  of 
  Mikado 
  Pheasants 
  were 
  trapped 
  by 
  the 
  savages 
  in 
  Formosa 
  in 
  

   spring 
  snares, 
  like 
  those 
  set 
  for 
  argus 
  in 
  runways 
  in 
  the 
  Bornean 
  jungle. 
  The 
  birds 
  

   were 
  rare 
  and 
  found 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Arizan 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  seven 
  to 
  twelve 
  

   thousand 
  feet, 
  never 
  lower. 
  They 
  do 
  not 
  feed 
  on 
  grain 
  and 
  but 
  little 
  on 
  berries, 
  but 
  

   almost 
  altogether 
  on 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  common, 
  low-growing 
  plant, 
  with 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  

   which 
  their 
  crops 
  are 
  often 
  stuffed. 
  This 
  plant 
  is 
  not 
  found 
  below 
  seven 
  thousand 
  feet. 
  

   Around 
  Mount 
  Arizan 
  is 
  a 
  wide 
  amphitheatre 
  or 
  semicircular 
  ridge, 
  sloping 
  off 
  in 
  one 
  

  

  