CERIORNIS SATYRA.
Nepaulese Horned Pheasant.
Meleagris Satyra, Linn. Syst. Nat., tom. i. p. 269.—Lath. Ind. Orn. vol. ii. p. 619.
Penelope Satyra, Gmel. edit. Linn. Syst. Na t., tom. i. p. 733.
Phasianus Bengalensis comutus, Briss. Orn., vol. vi. Suppl. p. 14.
------ Satyrus, Temm. Hist. Nat. des Pig. e t Gall., tom. ii. p. 349, e t tom. iii. p. 672.—Vieill. Gal. des Ois.,
. tom. ii. p. 23, pi. 206.
Homed Pheasant, Edw. Nat. Hist, o f B irds, p. and pi. 116.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. viii. p. 208.
Turkey, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. iv. p. 6 8 0 ; Suppl. p. 203.
Tragopan Satyra, Cuv. Rfegn. Anim., edit. 1829, tom. i. p. 479.
------------ Satyrus, Vig. in Proc. of Comm, o f Sci. and Corr. of Zool. She., p a r t i. (1830) pp. 122, 173.—Gould,
Cent, o f Birds, pL 62.
— -----— Satyrus, Temm. PI. Col. 543, 544.
------------ Lath ami, Reich. Syst. Av.-, p. xxix.
Satyra Lathami, Gray in Hardw. Ind. Zool., pi. 51.
Pennantii, Gray ibid., pi. 49.
cornuta, G. R. Gray, List o f Gen. of Birds, 1848, p. 78.
Ceriornis satyra, Gray, L ist o f Spec, and Draw, o f Mamm. and Birds pr. to Brit. Mus. by B. H. Hodgson, Esq.,
p. 125.—Blyth, Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 240.—Jerd. Birds of Ind., vol. ii. pt. 1 1 .
p. 516.—Gray, L ist of Spec, o f Birds in Coll. Brit. Mus., p art. v. Gallinse, p. 40.
Lathami, G. R. Gray, Gen. o f B irds, vol. iii. p. 499, Ceriornis, sp. 1 .
Tirriak-pho o f th e Lepchas. Bup o f the Bhoteas. Dafia of the Bengalese.
T he Ceriornis Satyra, the oldest known member of the genus, is another of the splendid productions o f the
southern slopes o f the Himalayas, inhabiting, as it does, Nepaul, Sikhim, and Bhotan, while its near ally,
C. melanocephala, frequents the country extending from the neighbourhood o f Simla to Afghanistan. We
have no knowledge of the vast hilly region eastward of Sikhim ; but I think it likely that the present bird
may extend its range in that direction until it inosculates with the Chinese C. Temmincki and C. Caboti.
All the species of the genus appear to inhabit the temperate regions of the ranges in which they respectively
dwell, mostly a t an elevation of from 6000 to 10,000 feet, sometimes ascending to the line of perpetual
congelation, but never descending to the hot forests at the base of the hills. As the present bird is an
inhabitant of a climate not very different from our own, it was supposed that it could be naturalized in this
country; and the apparent success of the earlier experiments seemed to justify such a conclusion; but
I believe that all these attempts will end in futility. At first, like many other eastern birds, they appear
to enjoy the change, and breed freely; a second year shows a great falling off; and the third generally
terminates their existence. As a bird for the aviary no one can be more beautiful and interesting ; it is,
indeed, a pleasure to look upon its rich colouring during the short time it will live with us, and more than
interesting to witness the display made by the male, when desirous of attracting the notice of the female,
on the approach of the. breeding-seâson ; now it is that we see during the momentary expansion of the
quivering wattles a display of colour unequalled for the beauty and depth of its tints ; as, however, the proud
male only now and then lowers the wattles to the extent shown in the smaller figure of the accompanying
Plate, it becomes necessary to pay repeated visits to the aviary, or the opportunity of witnessing it will be
lost. As. is the case with the other members of the genus, much diversity occurs in the colouring of the
sexes. With these few somewhat general remarks, I now proceed to transcribe with acknowledgment, the
accounts given of this bird by my contemporaries : ||3 re p
“ This species,” says Mr. Jerdon,” appears to be very abundant in Nepal, and is not rare in Sikhim at
considerable elevations. I have seen it at about 9000 feet in spring: in winter it descends to between 7000
and 8000 feet in the vicinity of Darjeeling, and perhaps lower in the interior. It is frequently snared by
the Bhoteeas and other hill-men, and brought alive for sale to Darjeeling. Its call in spring is a low, deep,
bellowing cry, sounding like waa-ung, waa-ung
“ D uring a two years’ residence at Darjeeling, in the Sikhim Himalaya,” says Captain Beavan, “ I had
many opportunities o f observing the habits of the birds called Ceriornis satyra, both in their native wilds
and in captivity, and have often been after them gun in hand, attended by a single trusly Nepaul shikaree,
i. e. sportsman. I have usually found them on the steep forest-clad slopes of the mountains, at an elevation
of from 6000 to 9000 feet above the sea. They generally prefer the neighbourhood o f water, but are, as
far as my experience goes, always found amongst the densest underwood, and where the greatest part of
the vegetation consists of oak, magnolia, ilex, and the other trees of that zone. They are seldom seen