Reeves’s pheasants—Golden pheasants—Silver pheasants—Blue
pigeons—Stabbed-breast pigeons—Widow birds—The horned
Tragopan—The mandarin teal—Conjugal fidelity—Nicobar
pigeons—Peacock pheasants—Pink cockatoo—The Ounderou monkey—A
Pitta—Mr. Beale’s gardens—Rare productions of the vegetable
kingdom—Native drawings—Extortionate custom.
In the aviary, the beautiful _Phasianus veneratus_ of Temminck; the _P.
Reevesii_ of Gray, now commonly known by the name of Reeves’s Pheasant,
was seen: it is the _Chee Kai_[21] of the Chinese. The longest of the
beautiful tail feathers of this bird are six feet in length, and are
placed in the caps of the players, when acting military characters:
this I observed at Canton, where some of the beautiful tail feathers
(rather in a dirty condition, like the actors themselves, who, in their
tawdry and dirty dresses, remind one of chimney-sweepers in London on
May-day) were placed erect, on each side of their caps, as a decoration.
The Chinese do not venerate this bird, as was first supposed, and
which may have caused Temminck to bestow upon it the specific name of
_veneratus_; but it is superstitiously believed that the blood of this
bird is possessed of poisonous properties, and that the mandarins, when
in expectation of losing their rank, and being suddenly put to death
by order of the emperor, preserve some of it, in a dried state, upon a
handkerchief, on sucking which they fall down and instantly expire. I
heard the male of this bird, in the aviary, utter a very sweet, mild,
and harmonious, whistling note, as it strutted about proudly, arrayed
in its elegant plumage; occasionally approaching near the wires of its
habitation, to let the visitors notice and admire him. The ends of the
longest feathers of the tail in the living specimen were broken, although
in this place of confinement there is much extent for his movements; but
the feathers are too long ever to expect them to be preserved perfect in
any confined place.
Mr. Beale first succeeded in procuring a living male specimen of this
elegant bird in 1808, and kept it in a healthy state for thirteen years.
After its death, he endeavoured to procure others, but did not succeed
until the year 1831. Four specimens were brought, from the interior of
China, to Mr. Beale’s aviary, and purchased for one hundred and thirty
dollars. These specimens were those, I believe, subsequently taken
to England by Mr. Reeves. A female of this elegant creature has not
yet been procured, although large offers have been made for one. Much
difficulty has been experienced in procuring from the Chinese, female
birds of the Reeves’s or golden pheasants: many think it proceeds from
a desire of preventing the birds being bred; but it may more correctly
be attributable to the difficulty of persuading the Chinese that the
females can at all be an object of attraction, or worthy of purchase,
from being deficient in the brilliant plumage of the male birds; and it
is probable that they misunderstand the person who requests females to
be brought, and therefore male specimens are usually brought in place of
them. A drawing of this bird was sent to England, by Mr. Beale, in 1804;
and on the death, before mentioned, of the first living specimen ever
seen by Europeans in China, it was stuffed, and presented to a gentleman
belonging to the Dutch Factory at Canton, who expressed a great desire to
send it to Holland, as it would materially favour his interest at home:
it was, therefore, sent thither in 1817, or 1818, and was very probably
the specimen from which Temminck’s description was given.
The golden, or painted pheasants, (_Phasianus pictus_,) now so well
known even at home, are decked in elegant plumage: it can, however, be
no compliment to their harmonious blending of colours, to call them
painted, although the epithet may be considered very applicable to their
general gaudy appearance. Their brilliant tints excite more admiration in
vulgar minds than the delicate pencilling of the silver pheasant, or the
less gaudy but more elegant tinting of plumage in the Reeves’s, or the
ring-neck pheasants. The painted pheasant is called Kum, kai,[22] or Kin,
kai, by the Chinese: the eggs of the bird are described as being white,
with brown spots. These beautiful birds are brought from the districts of
Che, Kien, and Keang, nan.
The male of this bird, when courting the female, or bullying the males,
conceals the purple feathers of the wings with the golden feathers of the
back, at the same time bringing those feathers, seen like a hood upon the
back of the neck, forward, and concealing the bill; thus, on whatever
side the object of attack or courtship may be, the hood is so brought as
to hide all but the sharp, bright eye. The attitudes of this, as well as
of others of the pheasant tribe, are invariably graceful, whether upon
the ground, or perched upon the branches of a tree.
The silver, or pencilled pheasants, the Pah, haan of the Chinese, were
in fine plumage; and among many other attractions in the collection,
was the Wow, wow, or blue pigeon, of New South Wales, which has bred in
the aviary. The present, full-grown and fine specimens of that bird,
Mr. Beale told me, were the young of a pair originally brought from
Australia. They were born and reared in the aviary, and the parents
died a short time since. There were also several of the stabbed-breast
pigeons, (_Columba cruenta_,) from Manilla, whose breasts exhibited the
exact appearance of having received a wound; the feathers, for a short
distance, seeming to be smeared with the blood which flowed from it. What
could have caused this very extraordinary and exact resemblance?
Widow Birds are peculiar objects of attraction; they are of a diminutive
size, and their flight and hopping motion, when jumping or flitting from
branch to branch, reminded one of the unsettled disposition of widows in
most countries. So rapid were their evolutions, that at times it was
difficult for the eye to follow them. They had certainly a beautiful
appearance, arrayed in their dark plumage, with a tinge of yellow over
the male. The male of the widow-bird is like the female for four months
of the year, about the spring season.
There is a species of _Tringa_, or Turnstone, which was lately brought by
Captain Duran, who presented it to Mr. Beale: it was caught alive three
hundred miles from the nearest land, in lat. 15° north, and 169° east
longitude.
Another beautiful bird, which merits some notice, is that elegant
creature, the _Tragopan satyrus_, or horned _Tragopan_: it is the _Tû,
Xoû, Nieu_, of the Chinese, and may receive an appropriate English name
in the _Medallion Pheasant_, from a beautiful membrane of resplendent
colours, (more or less brilliant, according to the excitement the bird
may be in at the time,) which is displayed or contracted at the will
of the animal; at which time its purple horns are also elevated: this
appearance is usually observed during the months of January to March,
when courting the female. In the contracted state it has merely the
appearance of a purple skin under the lower mandible, and sometimes there
is not the slightest indication of the existence of any membrane in that
situation. The colours are most brilliant, being principally purple, with
bright red and green spots; they are vivid and dazzling, varying, as in
the wattle of the turkey-cock, according to the greater or lesser degree
of passion exhibited by the bird. It is supposed, and no doubt correctly,
that it is only to be found in the male specimens of this bird, for a
female has not yet been seen. This beautiful appendage is never perceived
to descend, excepting during the spring months or pairing season of the
year. The birds in Mr. Beale’s aviary were procured from the Yun-nan
province, bordering upon the country of Thibet: he has not, however,
succeeded in his endeavours to obtain females of this elegant bird. I
have coloured drawings of this bird in my possession, correctly executed
by a Chinese artist.[23]
The Mandarin Teal, or _Een-yêong_ of the Chinese, is also much and justly
admired. The plumage of the drake is remarkably elegant, that of the
female plain and undecorated. The male bird, however, during four months
of the year, that is, from May to August, changes its beautiful plumage,
and bears a close resemblance, at that time, to the female. This change
is not confined solely to the tints of the feathers, but extends even to
the epidermis of the mandibles. This bird, unlike the tribe, generally
roosts in elevated situations, upon trees, high rocks, or over the
windows of the aviary. These little creatures are regarded by the Chinese
as emblems of conjugal fidelity, and are usually carried about in their
marriage processions.
The following curious instance of fidelity was mentioned to me, as having
occurred in the instance of two birds of this species:—A drake was stolen
one night, with some other birds, from Mr. Beale’s aviary; the beautiful
male was alone taken; the poor duck, in spite of her quacks during the
distressing scene, was left behind. The morning following the loss
of her husband the female was seen in a most disconsolate condition;
brooding in secret sorrow, she remained in a retired part of the aviary,
pondering over the severe loss she had just sustained.
Whilst she was thus delivering her soul to grief, a gay, prim drake,
who had not long before lost his dear duck, which had been accidentally
killed, trimmed his beautiful feathers, and, appearing quite handsome,
pitying the forlorn condition of the bereaved, waddled towards her;
and, after devoting much of his time and all his attention to the
unfortunate female, he offered her his protection, and made a thousand
promises to treat her with more kindness and attention than her dear,
dear, lost drake; she, however, refused all his offers, having made, in
audible quacks, a solemn vow to live and die a widow, if her mate did
not return. From the day she met with her loss, she neglected her usual
avocations; her plumage became ragged and dirty; she was regardless of
her appearance; forsook her food, and usual scenes of delight, where she
loved to roam with him, now absent, and to excite his brave spirit to
drive away all the rivals that might attempt even to approach them. But
those fleeting hours of enjoyment had passed, perhaps never to return;
and no consolation that could be offered by any of her tribe had the
least effect. Every endeavour was made to recover the lost bird, as it
was not expected that the beautiful creature would be killed.
Some time had elapsed after the loss, when a person, accidentally
passing a hut, overheard some Chinese of the lower class conversing
together; he understood sufficient of their language to find out that
they said, “It would be a pity to kill so handsome a bird.”—“How, then,”
said another, “can we dispose of it?” The hut was noted, as it was
immediately suspected that the lost Mandarin drake was the subject of the
conversation. A servant was sent, and, after some trouble, recovered the
long-lost drake by paying four dollars for him. He was then brought back
to the aviary in one of the usual cane cages.
As soon as the bird recognized the aviary, he expressed his joy by
quacking vehemently and flapping his wings. An interval of three weeks
had elapsed since he was taken away by force; but when the forlorn duck
heard the note of her lost husband, she quacked, even to screaming, with
ecstacy, and flew as far as she could in the aviary to greet him on his
restoration. Being let out from the cage, the drake immediately entered
the aviary—the unfortunate couple were again united; they quacked,
crossed necks, bathed together, and then are supposed to have related all
their mutual hopes and fears during the long separation.
One word more on the unfortunate widower, who kindly offered consolation
to the duck when overwhelmed with grief: she in a most ungrateful manner
informed her drake of the impudent and gallant proposals he made to her
during his absence;—it is merely supposition that she did so; but at
all events the result was, that the recovered drake attacked the other,
the day subsequent to his return, pecked his eyes out, and inflicted
on him so many other injuries, as to occasion his death in a few days.
Thus did this unfortunate drake meet with a premature and violent death
for his kindness and attention to a disconsolate lady. It may perhaps
be correctly written on a tablet over his grave—“_A victim to conjugal
fidelity._”
Several of the beautiful Nicobar pigeons are also in the aviary, and are
usually seen perched upon the trees, even upon the loftiest branches.
They build their rude nests and rear their young upon trees, similar to
all the pigeon tribe. They usually come down to feed upon the ground,
but return to their elevated situation to repose during the night and
most part of the day. Their plumage is of a splendid bronze, and their
shape most graceful; but the long loose plumage pending from the breast,
which they seem to delight in ruffling out, in some degree conceals their
beauteous form, as seen in others of the tribe who have a smoother and
more delicate plumage. These birds inhabit Sumatra, Nicobar, and other
islands forming the eastern archipelago.[24]
Two elegant peacock pheasants from Cochin China; the jungle cock and
hen from Java; the bright scarlet cardinal; the crested partridge from
the Malay peninsula; the pretty and delicate Java sparrows; several
of the Chinese water-fowl; and numerous doves, adorn and enliven this
interesting place.[25]
A beautiful pink cockatoo, from the eastern islands, attached to a
hanging perch, is placed near the aviary; and a large, elegant Persian
cat, with fur of a most delicate silky texture, is seen attached by a
long string to a tree. The docile creature reposes during the fine sunny
weather upon the grass-plot in front of the aviary. The two latter are
removed into the house at night, and placed in the garden during fine and
serene weather.
Upon a large tree, also, on the terrace, near the aviary, is a fine
female specimen of the Ounderou monkey of Ceylon (_Simia silenus et
leonina, Gm._) The fur of the animal is black, with a large white mane
falling over on each side of the head. This specimen is nearly two feet
high, but does not walk in the erect position. A house is placed for it
in the branches of the tree, and the animal is secured by a chain, with
a moveable ring, passing round a lofty bamboo, which communicates with
the tree; so that Jenny, as the creature is called, can ascend or descend
from the tree, and range for a certain extent through the branches, or
for a short distance over the ground, when she descends. She is not
readily attracted by strangers, unless they excite her _alimentiveness_
by displaying some food. Her appearance is very ludicrous,—the black
physiognomy peering through the huge white mane, when she is seen peeping
from her kennel in the tree, exercising her secretiveness by pretending,
when called, not to notice or understand, while, in reality, her
attention is directed towards the person who may be addressing her. But,
let some fruit be displayed—rapid as thought she slides down the bamboo,
and is close to the object of attraction. Do not imagine, stranger, that
you are the object of attraction—as in the plenitude of your vanity you
might;—no, she is paying a devoted attention to your donations of oranges
or plantains, which having attained, she will soon forsake your society
to enjoy the proceeds of her efforts upon the branches of the tree, far
removed from your reach.
One morning, when I was visiting Mr. Beale, a bird had been just
received, which was purchased in Canton from a Mantchow Tartar: it was a
_Pitta_, and supposed to be the _P. brachyura_ of Gould, figured in his
splendid illustrations of the birds of the Himalaya mountains; but, from
the red abdomen and vent, it appeared to accord more with the species
called _P. erythrogastra_ of Temminck; it was in excellent condition,
very tame, feeding on insects, boiled rice, &c. This specimen was
mentioned as having been procured from Tartary; but the _habitat_ of the
first species is usually stated in our works on Natural History to be
Ceylon and the Himalayas, and the second the Philippine islands.
Much care is required when the aviary is painted, to prevent the birds
being injured, not alone from their pecking it, but, from getting the
paint upon their feathers, as they eat it when cleaning their soiled
plumage; the aviary is therefore painted as seldom as possible, and,
when done, the interior of the painted part is lined with mats, until
thoroughly dry.
The gardens around the dwelling-house display the taste of Mr. Beale,
(in spite of the frequent destructive effects of the typhoons,) in
arrangement, as well as choice of rare and valuable productions of the
vegetable kingdom. Among others may be mentioned the _Laurus Cassia_, or
China cinnamon, the leaves of which, and every part of the tree, yield,
on being broken or rubbed, a most powerful and agreeable fragrance. Here
also is a beautiful species of _Nauclea_, of the elevation of sixty or
seventy feet, and a circumference of two feet; it was of straight growth,
covered by a profusion of beautiful flowers in corymbs, and was branchy
only at or near the summit. There were also some young trees of _Cookea
punctata_, which bears the fruit called Whampee by the Chinese, and
another species of the same genus from Manilla, which differed, however,
materially from the preceding, from the foliage having a very strong
taste and smell of aniseed: from this peculiarity it has been named
_Cookea anisetta_.
Besides a multitude of the _Chrysanthemum indica_ of different brilliant
hues, in which China is so prolific, both for the number, size, and
beauty of the varieties, Mr. Beale has a low shrubby species from Japan,
which bears a profusion of small dark-red flowers. I saw a beautiful
drawing of one of the plants in full bloom, but the plant itself,
at the time of my departure from Macao, had not entirely expanded
its flowers.[26] There is a flourishing plant of the single Japanese
_Caucus_,[27] numerous varieties of the beautiful Chinese Camellias,
several species of _Bauhinias_ from India, and the Black Chilly plant
also from India. The fruit of this latter plant, before attaining
maturity, is perfectly black, or rather, as a true black does not exist
in the vegetable kingdom, a purplish black, but when ripe it becomes
red; the stem, &c. of the plant has also a dark tinge. Two species of
_Annona_, indigenous to China, and removed from its wild state in the
vicinity of Macao to this garden, particularly attracted my notice;
one is probably an undescribed species; it is found growing upon the
hills near Macao. The tree was now both in fruit and flower, the latter
being very fragrant; the Chinese name it the Hill Annona, or, in their
language, Shan, Ying, Chāo; the other species is the _A. uncata_, called
by the Chinese, Ying, Chāo.
In a pond in the garden are some beautiful specimens of the Golden Carp,
(_Cyprinus auratus_, Linn.) which inhabits the lakes of southern China;
the tail has a trifid form, the anal fins become double, and they appear
subject to several variations, which, when depicted in drawings, has
caused many to regard them as merely specimens, proceeding from the
imagination of the artist. At night the ponds are covered with a gauze
frame, to preserve the finned creatures from nocturnal enemies; but with
all the precautions used, the kingfishers sometimes capture them, and
many had received injury, although they escaped from those depredators.
A number of the Chinese varieties of oranges are in the garden, including
the _Citrus nobilis_, or Mandarin orange, and numerous others.[28]
There were also several plants of a species of _Lycopodium_, planted in
pots, and kept well watered; it is an elegant species, rising from a
stalk of about five inches in height, having on the summit its peculiar
foliage, sometimes expanded and sometimes closed. This is a very
ornamental plant; it resembles the species given me at Manilla, which I
was told had been procured from Mexico, where it is found growing upon
the rocks; and although kept for years in a dried state, revives and
expands its foliage when placed in the water.[29]
There is a plantain-tree frequently seen growing in the gardens, which is
called Fāā, tsieu, or red flowering plantain, by the Chinese. The anthers
appear fertile, but it is said not to produce fruit; the flower proceeds
from the centre of the upper part of the stem, growing erect, the scapes
being of a crimson colour, frequently tipped with yellow: this plant has
a very ornamental appearance in the gardens. I remarked also, in several
of the plants, that many of the scapes become partially changed to floral
leaflets, and the others remain in their original state.
The roots, or rather the creeping stem of the Lien, wha, of the Chinese,
(_Nelumbium speciosum_,) are seen carried about for sale in the streets
of Macao and Canton, as well as in large quantities in the bazaars.
Although highly esteemed by the Chinese, I do not admire it as an
esculent vegetable, being of a soft, pappy, and tasteless flavour;
the only gratification derived from it is found in the growth of the
plant and elegance of its blossom. According to Dr. Abel, the Chinese
cultivate and prize it above all other plants. “This splendid flower,”
he says, “celebrated for its beauty by the Chinese poets, and ranked for
its virtues among the plants which, according to Chinese theology, enter
into the beverage of immortality, flourished in the greatest vigour in
the gardens of Tung, chow. Its tulip-like blossoms of many petals, tinted
with the most delicate pink, hung over its fan-like leaves, floated
on the surface of the water, or rising on long footstalks, of unequal
height, bent them into elegant curves, and shaded with graceful festoons
the plants beneath. Near Yuen-Ming-Yuen, and under the walls of Pekin,”
continues Dr. Abel, “I saw it covering, with pink and yellow blossoms,
large tracts of land, and could sympathise with the enthusiasm of the
Chinese bards, who have sung of the delight of moonlight excursions on
rivers, covered with the flowering Lien, wha. Its seeds, in size and
form, like a small acorn without its cup, are eaten green, or dried as
nuts, and are often preserved as sweetmeats; they have a nut-like flower.
Its roots, sometimes as thick as the arm, of a pale green without, and
whitish within, in a raw state, are eaten as fruit, being juicy, and
of a sweetish and refreshing flavour, and when boiled are served as
vegetables. The leaves are said to possess a strengthening quality;
the seed vessel to cure the colic, to facilitate parturition, and to
counteract the effects of poison.”[30]
The _Arachis hypogæa_, or ground nuts, are sold in great abundance in the
bazaars, and about the streets of Macao and Canton, and are much eaten
by the Chinese, who also extract an oil from the seeds for a variety of
purposes.
Mr. Beale presented me with drawings by a Chinese artist, of the plants
from which the pith, used in the manufacture of that kind of paper known
to Europeans under the denomination of _rice-paper_, and that from which
the fibre used in the manufacture of the _grass-cloth_ is procured. I
suspect that the fibre used for the Manilla senimaya, or grass-cloth, is
not produced from the _Musa textilis_, as is commonly supposed, which
point has not, although often asserted by writers, been actually decided;
it is more probably produced from a plant similar to that used by the
Chinese, which is _Corchorus_, probably _capsularis_.
The following engraving is from the Chinese drawing.
The pith plant is procured from Oan, nāām, near the province of See,
chuen, and is named, in the language of the country, _Toong Shue_,[31]
and the following representation may convey some idea of the shrub, and
assist persons visiting China to procure, if possible, specimens in
flower or fructification.
[Illustration: CORCHORUS CAPSULARIS.]
The grass-cloth plant is produced in great abundance, both in a wild and
cultivated state, in the provinces of Fo, kien, and Che, kien, and is
named by the Chinese Māā, Shūe.[32]
[Illustration: TOONG SHUE.]
That curious plant, the _Nepenthes distillatoria_, or monkey-cup of the
Malays, is occasionally found abundant near running streams, upon the
islands in the vicinity of Macao; the Chinese name it the pig-basket
grass, (Chu, long, tzo,[33]) from the appendages or pitchers of the
leaves having, when placed horizontally, some resemblance to the form of
the baskets in which the pigs are carried to market. The Chinese avail
themselves of the well-known obstinacy of these animals, and by that
means succeed in getting the beast into the narrow conveyance; by placing
the head of the animal close to the entrance of the basket, and pulling
the creature by the tail, it enters immediately.
The dwarf trees are certainly one of the curiosities of the vegetable
kingdom in China, being a joint production of nature and art: they
are very small, placed in pots of various kinds, upon the backs of
earthenware buffaloes, frogs, towers, and rock-work, which constitutes
the Chinese taste in what these people would be pleased to term
“ornamental gardening.” The plants have all the growth and appearance of
an antiquated tree, but of an exceedingly diminutive size. Elms, bamboos,
and other trees, are treated in this manner, and are abundant in the
nursery gardens about Macao and Canton: they are produced from young
healthy branches, selected from a large tree, which, being decorticated
and covered with a mixture of clay and chopped straw, as soon as they
give out roots, are cut off and transplanted: the branches are then tied
in the various forms required, so as to oblige them to grow in particular
positions; and many other methods are adopted to confine and prevent the
spreading of the root; the stems, or perhaps they might then be termed
trunks, are smeared with sugar, and holes are bored in them, in which
sugar is also placed to attract the ants, who, eating about it, give
the trunk an appearance of age. I saw at Mr. Beale’s a number of dwarf
trees, which have been in his possession nearly forty years; and the only
operation performed to keep them in that peculiar and curious state, is
to clip the sprigs that may sprout out too luxuriantly.
There is an infamous custom existing at Macao, obliging Europeans,
arriving or taking their departure in Chinese boats, to pay several
dollars to the mandarins. Great blame is certainly attached to the
imbecility of the Portuguese government, for permitting such proceedings
to take place in their city, and not far distant from the house of the
governors. It has been said, “if strangers will resist the demand, the
governor will support them.” This is a miserable system of legislation,
and can only be construed into a fear of the Chinese by the Macao
government, which I really believe is the truth. Strangers arriving are
beset by these pug-nosed, pig’s-eyed followers of the mandarins, and
find they are absolutely forced to comply with their demands, except
they choose to be bullied and severely beaten by a multitude, which has
often taken place when resistance has been made to their demands. Why,
if the governor has the power, does he not overthrow the chop-house into
the sea, and by such active measures put a stop to the tax altogether?
It is certainly disagreeable, after a long voyage, with ladies under
your charge, to be bullied by these scoundrels, very probably some
Portuguese soldiers and residents looking on at the same time without
offering any assistance. It is not demanded of strangers at Canton: why,
therefore, is it at Macao? A demand also is made separately for ladies
landing; and should a refusal take place, the unfortunate Chinese boatmen
are squeezed, to satisfy the cupidity of the mandarins, or the ladies
insulted. Passengers and goods landing in European boats are exempt from
this imposition, as well as on embarking; so that the tax is confined to
Europeans embarking or arriving in Chinese boats.