ARGUS GIGANTEU S
ARGUS GIGANTEUS.
W t E A - T -A-E0 F-&- PHEASANT.
H ill
PHAStANUS A E G U s J i s y t N ,t ( 1 7 6 6 j » ^ , 7 * L . a . M Or» ¿ A 0J3L" 62» ^ t n c l d Bihliog. vol. iii. p. 41'9 Gm.Syst
Nat..T,ol..i. p. 742-i01‘7(88|).-. - « ■ r-, ■ . . ,■. . . . . , , . • 3 '
ABGUSrPAtVONIUS VietH GalfOts o l f c i p l 2 0 8 - I d t e Method pi 87 fig l L ^ HI Ind Zool <o '.
A. PAVONINUS, Less. Trait. Omith: (l83i^p/488-''& Atlas, pi: 84.
A:' GIGAN 1I JS T, m ,, Hist. Pig. ct Gaik volt i i i p. 6 7 8 -S d a L Proc. Zool. Soc. (1«I13) p .'IM .sp . , & „ 22„ _ BM1,
. - 1 i. 0 ! " ® 242^ 0 B E B B f f l l Malay Arclnp t M p H H & Selb o’rn. pis. 14 & 15 ' I K 8 '
AHGUSIANBS I n i vol. iii. p. 60S C1.8G.i).-Gray, Cat. of Gen. of Birds f »855) p. 103,-Id. List Gall. C1867) p . 25' ,
Altuough known to naturalists fo r a century, up to the present time nothing whatever has : been recorded o f the habits and
E K ' ' No European h « ^ M is that I am aware o f f and rts h a h . of liv in î in the I I
2 f^ | " ? amld ,h° **■“*•<* renders it vety difficult to observe in its huuuts. I h e Great A ™ is
mF‘5 8 Ve f , ^ ‘IfS ^ Î « H 'S te * e apeC1“ length of the “'Sf“*secondary t t g f c interfering materially to with its efforts at mrn, . f ....l
T f i f lndiTid““‘S have I)Cnods bee” br°”« ht ali'-e Europe. The first was t mate
H I H i H | *he Z°° l°®Cal Gardm • Rs®“ t s P r f . H D I an H M H attraction to all who saw Mm
The other foua j r e now hvingf | | | f |f j h e s e ,s a female a t present m M Gardens a t Amsterdam, where I lately saw it another a
ihe f r r ■ H I f H H * ieiong,ng *°a * * * *• «»* <* H a ^ » . hmmwi
H B H I ' H ’T*f M male' « ! ¡ U S D H tame. H to bB
* ° w fr H H H i * $ w ■ H H — i
■ B H D D B H Rothschild, are Ww Jiving i n H H M H Society in Begentfs Park-
H H | ” ■ hea"h U Cm^ m’ 1 U ''1Ê S "'iTCd H H ¿Ay are toleralffl tame’
H H l » pro,,d' uPrlSbti carnage g jfo rtu n a te ly the male ,s shorn of his chief ornaments, as it was
necessaty to cut he tail « s e c o n d a r y feathers to allow of Ins mtoductton into the box which served as his home during the
1 .IS'a"d. 1 , “ W a re n tly .no, a difficult bud to preserve in confinement¡, audl we may ftn fiïe n tly trust that it will
before long be a familiar object m the pheasantries of Europe.
I V ? ‘ ‘T * - r®“f * strüt' tomewhat after f jm a n n e r of the Peacock, i f - j l no lengthened train « display
b n tih em a k e s up for tin b y ^ v a t i n g and opemng In wmg , 0 that the long secondaries are shown in a semicircle over h i’
H H H H O B “ d filling up the space ieftvCen the w i n g s g th e eenfte. This exhibition has an
M U g H U M b"Ildre'U 1 1 « opo'e scattered o v e r ® feathers giving fcgiÿe b i r d B very; hovel appearance,
bird W B B * • lsla“ d ° f Molacca H H H Malay Archipelago,; mentions this
Pla c eS f e e. f f l ha'i ' ' - l00m)’’ »! swamp near a stream
ovcrgt-ow'. wtth zmgiberaceous p l ^ , m which a clearing was easily made. Here our men built two little huts, without sides, that
■ H H H H I l f ! and, B p r ,hem for a!“B'eel£• H H H H H Md B f f l H I *>^1-
■ I , ° r , ooomtHm This was t h e ' ^ t r y o f the Great. Argus Pheasant. and we continually heard its cry. On asking
he had | Y H H ",C’ ^ toM tllat’ " “ S1' H 1 b“ !" fcr sloofi”* bWa m these foresm
lie had n c td j e t shot one, and had never even seen one, except after It hod been caught The bird is so exceedingly shy and warv
and runs along the ground in the densest part o r the forest so quickly, that it is impossible to get near i t , and its sober colours
and .me,.eye-,ke spots, winch M g o o r n a m e n t when seen in a museum', must harmonize well with the dead leaves among which
it dwells and render it very nmonspicnons. All the specimens sold in Malacca are caught In snares; and my informant, though
he had shot none, .had snared plenty.”
The male may be described as follows
. Top of, head and occipital cto t black Bare km of head and neck rich deep blue. Breast and underparts deep red, with black
and Ibnff .hues running, .along, the feathers. Back and wings black, covered all over with buff spots. Rump and upper tail-coverts
butt, With biown spots. Primaries light grey on outer webs, covered with regular lines o f rufous-brown spots; inner webs very
light rufous, covered with black spots with rufous centres; a line next the shaft olive-brown, crossed with fine dark brown lines;