﻿200 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  direction 
  down 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  large, 
  deep 
  valley, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  Mount 
  Morrison. 
  

   The 
  sides 
  of 
  this 
  valley 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  steep, 
  unclimbable 
  in 
  almost 
  all 
  places, 
  with 
  

   great 
  outjutting 
  cliffs 
  of 
  white 
  rock, 
  white 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  covered 
  with 
  lichen 
  and 
  deep 
  

   green 
  moss. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  home 
  of 
  the 
  Mikado 
  Pheasant, 
  among 
  six-foot 
  bamboos 
  and 
  

   rhododendrons, 
  the 
  latter 
  with 
  white 
  or 
  scarlet 
  flowers, 
  while 
  others 
  are 
  pale 
  pink 
  with 
  

   purple 
  centres. 
  The 
  birds 
  work 
  upward 
  and 
  often 
  pass 
  over 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  ridge 
  to 
  

   feed, 
  but 
  never 
  go 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  few 
  yards 
  into 
  the 
  deep 
  cypress 
  jungle. 
  At 
  the 
  slightest 
  

   alarm 
  they 
  are 
  up, 
  and 
  shoot 
  back 
  over 
  the 
  ridge 
  down 
  to 
  some 
  inaccessible 
  ledge. 
  

   Somewhere 
  along 
  these 
  steep 
  slopes 
  they 
  nest. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  females 
  which 
  was 
  caught 
  

   began 
  to 
  lay 
  late 
  in 
  April, 
  while 
  the 
  Swinhoe 
  pheasants, 
  which 
  never 
  come 
  up 
  to 
  seven 
  

   thousand 
  feet, 
  begin 
  to 
  nest 
  in 
  March. 
  Snowline 
  on 
  Mount 
  Arizan 
  is 
  at 
  thirteen 
  

   thousand 
  feet. 
  

  

  In 
  appearance, 
  in 
  habitat, 
  and 
  in 
  food, 
  the 
  Mikado 
  Pheasant 
  resembles 
  the 
  

   tragopans 
  and 
  impeyans, 
  being 
  heavy 
  bodied 
  and 
  rather 
  thick-necked, 
  and 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  not 
  

   for 
  the 
  long 
  tail 
  would 
  show 
  little 
  resemblance 
  in 
  form 
  to 
  Elliot's 
  pheasant. 
  The 
  notes, 
  

   too, 
  are 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  kaleege 
  rather 
  than 
  of 
  Phasianus. 
  Its 
  note 
  of 
  inquiry, 
  when 
  

   not 
  especially 
  alarmed, 
  is 
  a 
  rather 
  high 
  wok 
  ! 
  wok 
  I 
  wok 
  ! 
  wok 
  I 
  which 
  is 
  uttered 
  slowly, 
  

   and 
  gradually 
  becomes 
  lower 
  in 
  tone 
  until 
  it 
  ceases. 
  The 
  note 
  of 
  suspicion 
  and 
  alarm 
  

   is 
  like 
  the 
  plaintive, 
  muffled 
  notes 
  of 
  the 
  silver 
  pheasant, 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  put 
  into 
  

   words. 
  Goodfellow 
  says 
  the 
  birds 
  have 
  a 
  very 
  unpheasant-like 
  crow, 
  which 
  is 
  uttered 
  

   in 
  early 
  morning. 
  When 
  approached 
  in 
  the 
  aviary 
  and 
  hidden 
  behind 
  brush 
  in 
  a 
  corner, 
  

   the 
  pheasants 
  utter 
  a 
  very 
  serpent-like 
  hiss, 
  loud 
  and 
  startling, 
  like 
  the 
  hiss 
  of 
  a 
  golden 
  

   pheasant 
  when 
  courting. 
  When 
  the 
  hens 
  are 
  frightened 
  and 
  dash 
  against 
  the 
  netting, 
  

   a 
  series 
  of 
  loud, 
  nervous 
  cries 
  is 
  drawn 
  forth. 
  

  

  The 
  feathers 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  beneath 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  above, 
  are 
  black 
  with 
  very 
  wide 
  

   terminal 
  bands 
  of 
  iridescent 
  purple. 
  When 
  these 
  are 
  looked 
  at 
  with 
  the 
  light 
  coming 
  

   from 
  behind 
  the 
  observer, 
  small, 
  central 
  patches 
  of 
  black 
  are 
  brought 
  into 
  prominence 
  by 
  

   a 
  circle 
  of 
  highly-lighted 
  iridescent 
  purple, 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  plumage 
  appearing 
  dead 
  

   black. 
  These 
  ornaments 
  stand 
  out 
  like 
  drops 
  of 
  dew 
  or 
  other 
  extraneous 
  objects 
  lying 
  

   on 
  the 
  plumage, 
  or 
  they 
  remind 
  one 
  of 
  small, 
  dark 
  peacock 
  eyes, 
  raised 
  in 
  high 
  relief 
  on 
  

   the 
  feathers. 
  The 
  gait 
  is 
  rather 
  slow 
  and 
  stately, 
  again 
  recalling 
  the 
  tragopans 
  instead 
  

   of 
  the 
  true 
  Phasianus. 
  As 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  birds 
  keep 
  to 
  their 
  present 
  habitat 
  they 
  will 
  not 
  

   be 
  exterminated, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  reach 
  their 
  nests 
  or 
  even 
  to 
  follow 
  them 
  down 
  

   the 
  cliffs. 
  

  

  The 
  egg 
  is 
  pale 
  creamy 
  white, 
  smooth 
  and 
  glossy. 
  In 
  size 
  it 
  is 
  considerably 
  larger, 
  

   in 
  proportion 
  to 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  parent, 
  than 
  in 
  related 
  species 
  such 
  as 
  Elliot's 
  and 
  the 
  

   copper 
  pheasant. 
  The 
  average 
  of 
  several 
  eggs 
  is 
  50 
  by 
  38 
  mm. 
  

  

  The 
  period 
  of 
  incubation 
  is 
  twenty-eight 
  days, 
  instead 
  of 
  twenty-four 
  as 
  in 
  nearly 
  

   related 
  species. 
  Correlated 
  with 
  this 
  the 
  young 
  chicks 
  are 
  correspondingly 
  farther 
  

   devoloped 
  when 
  hatched, 
  being 
  in 
  general 
  larger 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  flight 
  feathers 
  better 
  

   developed. 
  This 
  may 
  be 
  concerned 
  directly 
  with 
  the 
  unusual 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  haunts 
  of 
  

   this 
  pheasant, 
  the 
  need 
  for 
  escape 
  by 
  flight 
  down 
  the 
  steep, 
  precipitous 
  cliffs 
  demanding 
  

   greater 
  initial 
  development 
  of 
  muscle 
  and 
  wing 
  power 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  pheasants, 
  who 
  

   more 
  often 
  squat, 
  or 
  by 
  use 
  of 
  their 
  precocious 
  legs 
  run 
  swiftly 
  away. 
  

  

  As 
  emphasizing 
  relationship 
  with 
  the 
  Syrmaticus 
  ellioti 
  group, 
  Mrs. 
  Johnstone 
  

  

  