C E F ^ I O F ^ N
CERIORNIS CABOTI.
C A B O T ’ S T R A G O l ’ A X .
CERIORNIS CABOTI, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. 0 8 5 7 ) p. 161.—Id. Birds of Asia, pt.—Swinh. Ibis (1865), p. 350.—Id. Proc. Zool. Soc. (1863)
p. 307.—G. R. Gray, Hand-list o f Birds, pt. ii. p* 262,. no. 9624.
H ab. South-west China; probably Kwangse, Kweichow ( S winhoe) .
T his species is the rarest of- all the Tragopans, and has never yet been received alive in Europe, our knowledge of it being
confined to a few skins contained in one or two Museums and in my own collection. Mr. Gould first described .it from a specimen
in the possession of Dr. Cabot, of Boston, which was supposed to be a male. |plie^locality of that example was riot known,
although it was imagined to have come from Macao; and, indeed, at the present time we have very little information of its true
habitat. Cabot’s Tragopan approaches nearest to Temminek’s in its markings, although very different in colour. Mr. Swinhoe,
during a visit to Hong-Kong in 1865, obtained a specimen o f this bird. He writes in a letter to ‘ The Ib is ’ o f that y e a rjjg tefr
was fortunate enough to pick up what I took to be a livé specimen of this extremely rare species. It has also gone forward to
Dr. Squire a t Calcutta. It was apparently a young bird, with a little ,knob at the base of the bill, and: wart-like spurs on the tarsi.
Bill horn-coloured, orange at the- base of the gonys. Legs light flesh-brown. Eye-streak and edge of crest fiery. Plumage brown
(hen-like), mottled with black and spotted with fiery, studded all over with light dingy ochraceous ocelli. Tail short, blackish brown,
with pale brownish mottlings. Head variegated with black and sienna red, more or less bright. Skin around the eye and cere
pink, the latter pretty thickly clothed with feathers. Arrow-shaped white spots on the under parts. Size that of a large female
Gattus domesticus.” This individual, as was afterwards ascertained by Mr. Swinhoe, died on its way to Calcutta. Of course I am
unable to give any account of the economy or habits of this rare species ; but I trust it will not be long before its true habitat is
discovered, and that we may see it an inmate of some of the Zoological Gardens.
The species may be described as follows
Forehead, nape, and sides of head black ; crest bright re d ; a large spot on the side of the neck rich chestnut; entire upper
surface reddish brown, covered with spots o f buff surrounded with black.. These buff spots are largest on the wings and tail-coverts.
Flanks marked with red and blàck. Tail black, mottled with reddish brown. Entire underparts deep buff. Bill horn-colour.
Feet and tarsi flesh-colour*.
The female is unknown.
The figure is the size of life.