c e p nioi n i s sat y f ,a
GERIORNIS SATYRA.
I I O R . N E I ) T l ! A 0 0 P A N .
MELEAGRIS SATYRA, Linn. Syst. Nat. yqi.,i. p. 269 (1766).—Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 619.
PHASIANUS- GORNUTUS, Müll, Syst.,Nat. Supp.,p*. ,126 (1776)^ ‘ I
PENELOPE SATYRA, Gmel. edit. Linn. Syst. .Nat. tom. i. p. 733.-
SATYRA LATHAMI, J. E. Gray, Illust. Ind., Zool. t. 78.—(jr. R. Gray, List B. Brit. Mus. (1844) p. 28.
PHASIANUS BENGALENSIS CORNUTUS, Briss. Ora*: vql.ivi. Supp. p . '14.
P. SATYRA,-Temni. Pig. et Gall. vol. iii. p. 672.—Id. Plan. Colör.i 543, 644.-AVM1E 6 al. des Qis. tom. ii. p. 23, pi. 206.
P. CORNUTUS,‘Steph. GeniZöbLAoL x iM -2 3 9 .
TRAGOPAN SATYRA, Gould, Cent. Him. Birds, pi. 62.—Cuv. Regn. Anim. (1829) vol. i. p. 479.—Vig. in. Proc. of Cömm. o f Sei. and Corr. of
-=ir^Oof.ISbc.'p*t. 1 (1 8 3 0 ) pp. 122, 178jr
SATYRA PENNANTII, Gray, Illdst. Ind. Zool. t. 49.
TRAGOPAN LATHAMI, Reich. Syst. Av. p, jxxix.
SATYRA, CORNUTA, Gray, List Gen. Birds (1841), p. 78.—Bon. Comp. Rend. (1 8 5 6 ) p. 87;$.,:„
CERIORNIS LATHAMI, G. R. Gray, Gen. of. Birds; vol. iii. p. 49.9, sp. 1.
C. SATYRA, Blyth, Cat. B. Mus, Asiat., Soe. Beng, (1847)jsp. 240. | | f l 4 5 3 ,—Sclat; Proc. Zool. Soe. (M63> p. 122. sp. 1, & .(1869) p. ,628.—
Irby, Ibis (18.61);p; 234.—Beavan, Ibis (1868), p. 379.—Sclat. W o lfs Zool. Sketch. 2nd ser. (1867) pi. 39 — Jerd. B. o f Ind. vol. iii.
p. 516.—Gould, B. o f Asia, pt. xx.—Hodgs. List ofAhunJ & Birds, ßirat. Mus. p.125.
Hab. Nepal and Sikim Himalayas ( J erdon).. '
T h is brilliant Cerioms-. 'is - the -one longest known to ornithologists' o f all those comprising; .-the. genus, which now contains five
species. The Horned Tragopan dwells generally a t: a liigh 'elevation upon the mountains, of from. 7000 to 9000 feet, and is not
rare in the localities it frequents. It seems- a difficult:bird to preserve alive in captivity ;, and but small success has thus far
been met with in the frequent attempts-which have' beW-made |t^¡induce them to-breed in the aviary.
According to J e r d o n a p p e a r s to be very abundant in Nepal, and is not rare in Sikim a t considerable; eleyatiops. I have
seen it a t about 9000 feet in ispring ; and in winter it descends to between 7000 and 8000 feet in the vicinity o f Darjeeling.
Its call, which I have heard' in spring, is a low deep bellowing cry,' sounding -like wáa-ung, waa-ung.” This is a very wary bird,
and difficult to; slioot,' as it will either run and escape amid th e 1 ihick brushwood which abounds in its re tr e a ts ,‘bi-jfiy rapidly down
the side of the mountain, .requiring a quick eye and steady hand to arrest it in its swift course. Many, : according to Captain
Beavan, are caught in traps; formed of a hedge1 of bushes extending down a hill-side, and the sides converging together; near
the apex small openings are left with a noose placed in each.- The birds are driven slowly into these 'lanes, if they can be so
called, and, as they seek to escape through the openings, áre caught in th e . nooses.. The display. made' by this species when
lowering the wattle ; down upon the breast is very wonderful, and requires to ibekseen to h e appreciated; for. no description, however
graphic it may be,- can convey to the mind the magnificent appearance of the bird during; the moment-in which this exhibition may
be witnessed;
In a recent communication in the ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society o f Londón,’ Mr. Sclater states that this species has bred
seven different-’times in^ the aviaryTn their gardens, between the years 1848 and 1868; but although the young grow to maturity,
and even live to breed themselves, Mr. Bartlett (the Superintendent) informs me that when adult they do not thrive. The climate
is against them, he thinks, particularly the great changes which frequently occur from heat to cold, and vice versa. For,, although
this species is accustomed to live in cold climates, yet the temperature is equal; and while they can withstand severe cold, sudden
changes appear 'fatal to them.
“ Ornithognomon ” sent the following interesting account iqfiStliis species to ‘ The Field,’ where it was published in 1866:—
“ This noble bird is not uncommon in the thickly wooded mountains o f Nepal and Sikim, from 6000 to 9000. feet above the sea-
level ; but the Unwearied exertions of our sportsmen have driven it away from the neighbourhood of our stations. So long ago as
1842 it was becoming rare at Dorjeling, and it-was considered no small luck to bag one during a long day’s exploratiqn up. and
down those difficult hills. Beyond the Runget River, however, it was more readily procurable, notwithstanding the numbers snared
by the Botias and Lepchas, and brought into Dorjeling for - sale..' These people catch them by setting nooses in their runs, which
are similar to those made by the English Pheasant. The Botias also, .in their annual winter visits to Calcutta, bring live and
stuffed specimens of this b ird ,, together with Monauls (Lophophorus Impeyanús) and Kallijes (Euplocamus leuc.omelunus) ; so that it is
rapidly becoming rare.