Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-08
MUSEUM RECEIVES
N RARE PHEASANT
10 of Mystery Surrounds
Bird, Native of Indo-
! China JungIes.

IA perfect male specimen of one of
thdIftrargcst of all rare birds, the ocel-
l4st pheasant, has just been received
bR HE division of birds in the National
MiHcunl. About this shy and retiring
I'M is cast a halo of mystery, for it
lA4B so deeply hidden in the mountain
ohSH iungles of Indo-China that scien-
tN# know practically nothing of its life
aTn fact. the home of the ocellated
pks SAINT is so remotely separated from
ckflization. that. although its existence
hes been known for IS years, it has
nkVer been seen in its native habitat
by white man. Missionaries who have
attempted access to its highland jungle
haunts have found it impossible to do
more than reach the very edge of this
wild country.
The obtaining of satisfactory natural
history specimens has depended almost
entirely on the chance skill of the ma
tives who hunt these birds extensively
for food. Unfortunately, the native
method of capture, by trap or snare, is
so primitive that the birds are often in
jured. rendering them undesirable for
scientific study For this reason orni-
biologists of the National Museum are
doubly grateful for the specimen re-
Gently received at the courtesy of
correspondent of AMMAN, Indo-C China.
Tail Feathers Feet Long.
Although the ocellated pheasant,
chestnut brown in color, does not rank
with certain of its relatives. such as
the golden pheasant. in brilliancy of
plumage, it surpasseS them in volume
and length of tail feathers, which in
the male are more than feet long.
These remarkable tail feathers. quite
out of proportion with the length of
the birds body, which is only about
IL inches long, are from to 6 inches
broad at their widest point and are
finely notified with light colored spots.
These feathers are highly priced by
the AnnamiteS as theatrical ornaments
as well as for ritual present to the
Emperor of Amman from different
provinces on special occasions. Ac-
cording to the natives, the male birds
clear spaces in the forest for dancing
or display purposes when the tail
display of the peacock.
According to Aeschylus, the Greek
tragic poet, long-tailed, ground-loving
birds of brilliant plumage were album
uant 70 centuries ago along the banks
OF the River Phasis in the vicinity of
the Black Sea. Both the Greeks and
the Romans, it is said, esteemed these
All 10 DO 4OOO anu CdlIeO Lfem phaS1anuS
avis-the bird of the PhasiS, a. term
which is found. in modified form, TODAY
In the word pheasant.
PheaSantS were painted and enbroid-
cred on old Chinese paper and silk Iap-
estries perhaps thousand years before
they were known to the Greeks. but
knowledge of these early records is very
vague.
OF even less definite report. though
OF far greater interest, says q noted SCI
enlist, are the giant pheasants which
Mapped their wings and crowed, nested
ana laid their eggs In the strange old
Mlocene days, when mammals from
Snrews to mastodons were in their
prime. This was when the saber-
footed tigers and huge primitive dogs
pursued tapirs and the tiniest of Ceer
over what Is now the beautiful SOUTH
land OF France, from the Garonne to
the Pyrennes. Forever lost are the COL
ors, patterns and habits of these pheas-
ants Of old, but from their bones it is
known that some of them were larger
than any living today. These and a
lew more recent fragments are all the
evidence that is left of the countless
generations of birds which preceded the
magnificent pheasants living at the
present time