S. Porter—Wanderings in the Far East



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The restrictions on the sale and importation of pheasants into Singapore

make them difficult to obtain.


The Bornean or Gray’s Argus is so common in Borneo that I was

told they are kept in pens by Europeans for eating purposes like

ordinary fowls.


There is no more thrilling sound to the naturalist and none perhaps

which echoes the very spirit of the wild places of the Earth more than

the nocturnal call of the Argus Pheasant. In the stillness of night

when it is high full moon in Malaya, the mighty sonorous cries ring

out of the very depth of the virgin forests echoing miles away in the

forest covered valleys. It is a sound which can never be described on

paper nor can it ever be appreciated away from those mighty forests

where since the penetration of the country by Man its volume and

carrying propensities have impressed both native and traveller alike.

The call is not harsh or unpleasant but there is something about it

that when heard in the stillness of a tropical night makes a kind of

cold feeling go down one’s spine. The call heard from captive birds at

Home looses its thrill and seems to lack the resonance of the wild birds.


To my mind the Argus Pheasant is the most fascinating of all the

Pheasants, there is always something mysterious about it ; we never

quite get to know it like the other and more familiar Pheasants ; it

seems to stand aloof from them all, dignified and illusive.


One comes upon all manner of rarities (barring softbills) in the bird

shops in Singapore, if one perseveres in the search. All manner of birds

are brought in by the natives from the small sailing craft which are

continually coming into Singapore from the various islands and the

coastal regions of Malaya.


There are dozens of pathetic looking little Gibbons of various colours,

cream, white, smoky grey, and brown ; Lemurs, beautifully coloured

squirrels. I once chanced on a Cobego or flying lemur, one of the most

extraordinary looking of all mammals. I purchased it thinking to save

its life, but it must have been injured or diseased for it only lived a few

days. On rare occasions one saw cages of Lories, but these, if not sold

quickly, soon died from inadequate food. I heard from those in

authority that Lories are now scarce on the market as their export is

restricted from the Dutch East Indies.



