But in the second place, the specimens of this species, ohserved by Mr. Bennett in
Mr. Bealc's Aviary at Macao, had been procured in Yunan, the north-western
portions of which almost meet (he Mishmi Hills, so that there can be no reason to
doubt that this bird did really come, as supposed, from these latter.
The Chinese Crimson Tragopan greatly resembles the Indian Crimson Tragopan
(Vol. I., pp. 137, et sea), but may lie distinguished at once by having the interscapulary
region, scapulars, back,rump, and upper tail-coverts, of the same rich maroon
red as the lower part of the back of the neck, thickly dotted with circular or oval,
pearly grey or greyish white, spots, more or less completely encircled by a narrowish
black band. Also by having the breast and under parts alt thickly set with huge,
oval, pearly grey spots, occupying more than half the visible terminal portions of the
feathers, spots not surrounded by a black line as are the much smaller ones on the
breast of satyra.
The following are the dimensions taken from this Mishmi skin, which is that of an
adult male :—Length, about 23-0 ; wing, I0'3 ; tail, from the os coccygis, 90; tarsus,
3-2; mid toe and claw, 3-0; bill from gape, 1-5. The bird is, therefore, much
about the same size as satyra.
The colours of the soft parts I quote from Pere David : " Iridcs chestnut ; bill
white ; culmen and base brownish ; legs and feet of a rosy flesh colour, inclining to
led ; horns of a bluish green, indigo blue at base ; naked skin round the eye indigo
blue, with the lores and eyebrows green; gular apron indigo blue, passing to
gi eenish blue on the edges, which are ornamented with square patches of purplish
red." Gould figures these patches as oval and crimson, and Captain Stevens writes :—
" I kept the bird for over a year in a cage in my verandah. It had light blue
horns and dark blue wattles, with crimson bars."
The forehead and anterior portion of the crown, (the central feathers of which
arc elongaled and form the anterior portions of the crest), the sides of the head,
including the ear-coverls and a band round the margin of the gular skin, black ; the
posterior portion of the crown and occiput, (the feathers of which are elongated and -
form the central and posterior portions of the crest), and the feathers of the upper
part of the neck all round immediately adjoining the black already referred to, a sort
of orange yellow at their bases, becoming a ferruginous maroon towards the tips.
The lower part of the back of the neck, interscapular region, scapulars, back,
rump, and all but the longest row of upper tad-coverts a rather dull maroon red, the
feathers with numerous, small, circular or oval, greyish white to pearly grey spots,
surrounded by a black band, more or less imperfect in some, and showing here and
there, where the fealheis are slightly disturbed, a tongue-shaped black band running
up from this black frame which encircles the spot, and with a zig-zaggy whitish line
inside the margin of this tongue. The longest upper tail-coverts are grey brown,
washed towards their margins with rusty maroon. In the next row of tail-coverts
above these the greyish white spots are very much larger than in the smaller upper
tail-coverts, and almost entirely want the black encircling band ; the tail is black, the
basal three-fourths are more or less profusely variegated with irregular, transverse, zigzaggy
bars, of a warm buff colour, more or less ferruginous on the lateral tail feathers ;
the exterior tail feathers of all arc fully two inches shorter than the rest, and are
only blackish brown, and show a dull, imperfect, rufous buff tipping ; a faint trace
of the same on the next pair ; the primaries and their greater coverts and the secondaries
are black, variegated like the tail; the markings on the secondaries being,
however, paler and yellower ; the winglct, the two longest feathers of which are
longer than the primary greater coverts, and have the outer webs a uniform rich
ferruginous orange buff, form a conspicuous longitudinal band on the anterior portion
of the wing—a feature common to Cericrms satyra ; the shoulder of the wing a sort
of orange maroon ; the tertiaries and the rest of the coverts much like the back,
except that the pearly greyspots are larger, and that the feathers are here and there
variegated with ^ig-^aggy irregular spots, patches or bars, of yellowish white to
ferruginous buff, set in black, which, however, arc only conspicuous on the
tertiaries ; the edge of the wing and the smaller lower whig-coverts orange buff, the
feathers washed at the tips with maroon.
The breast and entire lower parts, except the tibial plumes and the longest lower
tail-coverts, mingled rich maroon and delicate French grey ; the feathers of the
breast and upper abdomen being maroon, with a huge, terminal, oval grey spot,
which, in all the feathers of the breast, goes quite, or almost quite, to the end of
1he feathers, while, in the feathers of the lower abdomen and flanks, there is a
perceptible, though narrow, maroon fringe left beyond the grey spot, and in the
lesser and median lower tail-coverts this fringe is faO much more developed that the
grey spots are only snbteimiual ; the longest lower tnil-coverls are blackish brown,
with a rufous ferruginous shaft and traces of imperfect bars of the same colour,
and washed towards the margins and lips with rusty maroon. On the sides of the
body, opposite the breast, and again in places on the flanks, traces of the basal
portions of the feathers, black, variegated with irregular zig-zaggy transverse bars
of white, or bulTy white, are visible where the feathers arc disturbed ; whether
they would be so in life I cannot say. The tibial plumes are orange ferruginous,
tinged with maroon.
The size of the grey or greyish white spots on the lower surface, and the width
of the maroon fringe extending beyond these, seem to vary a good deal (to judge
from the different plates 1 have examined) in different specimens,
I have seen no specimen of the female, but figures show that she is very similar
in marking to that of satyra, but altogether paler coloured and greyer.
In the Zoological Gardens at home it has been observed that this species begins
to lay in April, and lays seven or eight eggs, making its nest, if possible, off
the ground.
An egg there laid is figured as a broad oval, with 110 gloss, of a clear buff colour,
freckled with reddish spots, and measuring z~o$ by about 1 6.
Our other two Tragopans lay in a wild state much longer eggs, but the eggs
laid in captivity often differ perceptibly both in size and shade of colour from those
laid by the same species in a wild state.
T H E K O K L A S S (Vol. I., pp. 159, ^/ seq)~
Major C . H - T . Marshall writes: " In Chamba the people call this species the
Kukrola, or simply ' Kuk? "
T H E B L A C K - B R E A S T E D K A L I J . (Vol. I., pp. 197, et seq.)—
About this species also some further information has reached me from Chillugong,
Mr. II. Fasson says : " I notice you say that you have no certain information of
the Mathitra Pheasant ( Euplocamus horsficldi) occurring in Southern Chitlagong.
I can speak distinctly to this, as I have seen and shot Mathuras on several occasions
in Thanna Chukurca, near Dooloohazara. I have also twice seen them put up when
beating for Jungle-Fowl in Thanna Puttea."
Mr, J. Jarbo writes: " Like the Polyplectrons the Black-breasted Kalij have a
habit of frequenting streams overhung and darkened by jungle, during the heat of
the day.
"The Mathura I have often seen driven out of the jungle during beats, but never
the Polyplectron. The former I have even seen feeding along the banks of lire
Kurnafoolee river during noon-tide, but this only where some overhanging rock or
jungle made a deep, cool shade. In the cool of the afternoon and evening I have
often and often seen them feeding on the upper banks of the river in bands of from
two to six or eight, but this only from November till May During all months of
the year when I have been travelling, marching up some dark secluded stream, I
have very frequently come across them in the heat of the day, perched on some
low branch overhanging the water, or paddling and walking about on the damp
sand. These birds are not nearly so wary as the Common Jungle-Fowl. When
surprised in the open they will make for the jungle, and will then halt a few yards
inside the edge, while the Jungle-Fowl, on the contrary, having once (pretending all
the while not to see you) gained shelter, will, in nine cases out of ten, run for forty
or fifty yards into the interior of the cover,"
T H E A R A C A N S I L V E R - P H E A S A N T . (Vol. I., pp. 201, et seq)^
It seems now probable that this species extends outside the Aracan Yoma, along
the great range, which is a continuation of this, and which divides Chittagong from
various feudatory states of Upper or Independent Burma.
Mr. G. P. Sanderson writes : " I am as certain as it is possible to be, without
having procured the specimen, that I saw this bird in the extreme north of the
Changree valley (N. L 230 17') in Chittagong. I emerged suddenly upon the
river one evening whilst shooting, and saw a beautiful Pheasant run from the water's
edge on the far side into a thicket, It was only about thirty yards distant. I have