i 
VOIj. XXXV. No. 1. ) 
WUOLK A". 1406. f 
[Entered, according to 
NEW YORK CITY, JANUARY 6, 1877._ 
Act of Congress. to the year 1877, by the Rural Publishing Company, In tho olBce of the librarian of Congress at Washington.] 
(PRICE 
CENTS. 
P2.50 PER YEAR. 
®jft Naturalist, 
THE ARGUS PHEASANT. 
This magnificent bird, known as the Argus 
Pheasant (Argus gtgantem) Is found in the 
dense forests of Sumatra and other East Indian 
islands. It is almost the size of the common 
fowl, but the two middle tail feathers are throe 
and a half to four feet long. The under parts 
of the lower neck »re reddish brown spotted 
with yellow and black; tho back ochery-yellow, 
with black and brown spots; the tail feathers 
are of a deep chestnut, with white spots sur¬ 
rounded by a black ring; secondaries about 
three feet long, brownish, but when spread, as 
shown in the accompanying illustration, they 
are adorned with beautiful oscillated spots like 
those in the peacock's tail. The female is a 
dull chestnut red, varied with yellowish-brown 
and black, without the development of the tail 
feathers and the secondaries. Like the com¬ 
mon English Pheasant the flight of the ArguB 
Pheasant is difficult at the start, rising slow and 
requiring considerable time to get under motion, 
consequently tho merest tyro with fire arms 
may readily bring one down when first Hushed 
from covert. The long secondaries of the Ar¬ 
gus Pheasant make itu flight still more difficult, 
but they are of great service to the bird when 
running, acting in the manner of sails. These 
feathers, as well as those of many other gallina¬ 
ceous birds, are exported and employed as orna¬ 
ments for dresses, screens, fauB and similar 
articles. 
This species of Pheasant does not thrive well 
in confinement, although specimens are kept in 
fair condition in zoological collections in Europe, 
and perhaps in the far-off future domestication 
will be found possible. There is certainly a 
wide field for experiment with the various spe¬ 
cies of Pheasant found in different parts of the 
world, and wo are uot so bold as to protend to 
say what might ho tho result of well directed 
and persistent efforts in the way of domestica¬ 
tion of the so heretofore untamablo birds. 
—-»> » 
ELK OR MOOSE. 
In Rural Nkw-Yobker for Nov. 18. 1876, you 
give a very correct illustration of the moose, 
but mako no distinction between it and the elk. 
During the last fifteen years I have killed for 
their meal scores of these noble animals with 
my rifle, on the western slope of the Rocky 
Mountains, and find much lesB resemblance be¬ 
tween them and tho elk than between tho deer 
and the antelope. 
Tho antlers of the elk ore never webbed 
or palmated, but the horns of the moose are 
always so. The long, coarse hair on the stub¬ 
bed tail and immediately around, and extending 
several inches down the fleshy part of the thigh 
of the elk, is very light colored, almost white ; 
while the hair in the same locality on tho moose 
is black. Referring to your illustration in the 
Rural, which is quite correct, that part of tho 
head and nose below the eyeB has the form of a 
Roman-nosed horse, while the same part of the 
elk resembles the domestic ox. The moose is 
also much the larger animal, and its hair is 
nearly black]; while the hair of the elk, on a 
greater portion of its body ia very like our com¬ 
mon deer. 
Such ia a faithful description of theBe monster 
animals, as I have bccu them running wild in tho 
woods, and their appearance is very distinct in 
size, form, color and shape of horns. I have 
