OCR Text |
Show 1882.] ON THE MALE AND FEMALE OF PHASIANUS HUMIDE. 715 5. On Specimens of the Male and Female of Phasianus humice, from Munipur, with a Description of the latter. By Lieutenant-Colonel H. H. GODWIN-AUSTEN, F.R.S., F.Z.S., &c. [Received November 21, 1882.] (Plate LI.) The two specimens of Phasianus humia which I have the pleasure of exhibiting this evening were obtained by Mr. M . Ogle, of the Topographical Survey of India, on the peak of Shiroifurar, in Northeast Munipur, upon the Naga-hills boundary-a great mass of peculiar dark-green trap-rock which rises here through the sedimentary rocks to an altitude of about 9000 feet. It was the last point on that side that I reached myself in 1873, when surveying the boundary along with the political officers, Col. Mowbray Thomson and Capt. John Butler. I then collected some very interesting birds and land-shells ; but although that winter we got specimens of Ceriomis blythi, we neither saw nor heard of this beautiful Pheasant. Nor was Tangal Major (who was attending us on the part of the Raja of Munipur) then wearing its feathers as an ornament in his headdress ; or we should have been very soon on the look-out for the bird. Mr. Ogle, to whom my best thanks are due, writes from Munipur thus : - " I got two capital Pheasants here, which Nagas had trapped on Shiroifurar, badly skinned ; or rather the flesh had been left on the wings and would have gone bad ; but I had them skinned and turned inside out, and took out all the flesh. Tangal Major, to whom the Nagas brought the birds, made them over to Trotter, the acting Political Agent; and the latter kindly gave them to me when I told him I was collecting for you." Our thanks are therefore due to all three for the sight of these interesting birds here this evening. Mr. Ogle continues : - " I was at Shiroifurar for about a week, and had men out every day, but was not fortunate enough in getting any thing of this sort." This is not to be surprised at ; for the forest is very heavy, and it is a mere chance coming upon any birds and seeing them in the underwood. The discovery of Phasianus humia in the northern hills gives it a much more extensive range than Mr. H u m e supposed; and we have, I expect, both walked over the bird many a time. It is no doubt to be found throughout the Munipur hills on the north-east, and very probably extends up the Jhiri valley, nearly to the Burrail range. The male bird was first obtained by Mr. H u m e to the south of the Munipur valley, apparently with a good deal of trouble, of which he gives the history in ' Stray Feathers,' vol.ix. p. 463 ; and I extract his description of the male bird in full. The interesting-point of the present communication is the description of the female, before unknown, which I am now fortunate in being able to draw |