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(From *Tu Jing Ben Cao*)
[Correction] Originally attached to the entry for Pheasant, now separated.
[Names] Bai Xian (pronounced like "Han"), Xian Ke (Idle Guest).
Li Shizhen says: According to Zhang Hua: It walks and stops leisurely, hence called Xian. Li Fang named it Xian Ke. Xue believed it to be a type of Pheasant, while Wang believed it to be a white Pheasant. According to *Er Ya*, a white Pheasant is named "Zhu". Southerners pronounce "Xian" similarly to "Han", so "Xian" is a phonetic shift of "Zhu". It should be written as "Bai Zhu", just as the Golden Pheasant is called "Wen". "Zhu" refers to the beautiful appearance of feathers. Also, according to *Xi Jing Za Ji*: The King of Nanyue presented one white Xian and one black Xian. It seems there are also black Pheasants, named Lu Zhi, which people generally refer to as Zhu.
[Collected Explanations] Song says: Bai Xian is found in Jiangnan; it is a type of Pheasant. It is white with fine black patterns on its back. It can be domesticated, and locals also eat it.
Ying says: It is the white Pheasant.
Li Shizhen says: Xian resembles the Ring-necked Pheasant but is white, with black patterns like ripples. Its tail is three or four chi long. It has a comb and spurs, red cheeks, a crimson beak, and cinnabar-red claws. The meat...

[Flavor and Properties] Sweet, neutral, non-toxic.
[Indications] Tonifies the Middle Jiao and detoxifies (Wang Ying).

(From *Tang Ben Cao*)
[Name] Yue Zhi.
Li Shizhen says: According to *Qin Jing*: The bird that follows the sun is the Yue Zhi. It must fly south when taking flight. People in Jin'an say it cherishes the south; people in Jiangzuo say it chases shadows. Zhang Hua's annotation states: The name Zhegu is self-referential; it flies south. Although it may circle east or west, at the start of spreading its wings, it must first fly south. Its will is directed south, not north.
[Collected Explanations] Kong Zhiyue says: Zhegu lives in Jiangnan. It walks like a hen. Those that cry "Gou Zhou Ge Zhe" are the true ones. Birds that look similar but do not make this sound are not it. Song says: Now they are found in Jiangxi, Min-Guang, and Shu-Kuizhou prefectures. They resemble hens, have heads like quails, and white round spots like pearls on their chests, and the feathers on their backs...
Li Shizhen says: Zhegu fears frost and dew, rarely appearing early morning or late evening, and covers itself with leaves when roosting at night. They often call out in pairs. Currently, folk custom calls their cry "Xing Bu De Ye Ge Ge" (Cannot Go, Brother). They love cleanliness, so hunters catch them using sticky poles or lure them with decoy birds. Southerners roast them for food, saying the meat is white and crisp, tasting better than chicken or pheasant. The meat...

[Flavor and Properties] Sweet, warm, non-toxic. *Ri Hua Zi Ben Cao* says: Slightly toxic. Meng Shen says: Do not eat with bamboo shoots, as it causes abdominal distension. Birds that die naturally should not be eaten. Some say this bird is taken monthly by the gods of heaven and earth to offer to the Supreme One, hence naturally dead ones should not be eaten.
[Indications] Treats wild gecko poison, mushroom poison, and toxicity from open wounds in Lingnan, as well as prolonged warm malaria where death seems imminent and incurable. Roast the feathers, soak in wine, and drink. Or crush fresh and take the juice; this is best (*Tang Ben Cao*). Taken with wine, it treats fatal Gu Qi poisoning (*Ri Hua Zi Ben Cao*). It tonifies the Five Zang organs, benefits heart and mind power, and improves hearing and vision (Meng Shen).
[Elucidation] Li Shizhen says: According to *Nan Tang Shu*: Chancellor Feng Yanji suffered from incessant headache. Imperial Physician Wu Tingshao said: You have eaten too much ring-necked pheasant and Zhegu; their toxicity has manifested. He prescribed Gandou Decoction, and he recovered. This bird eats Aconite and Pinellia seedlings, so this decoction resolves its toxicity. Also, according to *Lei Shuo*: Yang Lizhi, Vice Prefect of Guangzhou, returned to Chuzhou. Because he ate too much Zhegu, he developed an abscess in his throat, which ulcerated and bled pus continuously, preventing sleep and eating. Doctors were helpless. Fortunately, Yang Jilao arrived at the prefecture and was invited to diagnose. He said: First eat one jin of sliced ginger, then medication can be administered. Initially, it tasted sweet and fragrant; at half a jin, he felt slightly relieved; after finishing one jin, he felt the spiciness, and porridge entered smoothly without obstruction. This bird likes to eat Pinellia, and toxicity manifests over time, hence ginger is used to counteract it. Observing these two accounts, eating too much Zhegu does carry slight toxicity; yet its function can detoxify and resolve Gu Qi, so merits and faults do not cancel each other out. Any bird or beast that dies naturally is toxic and should not be eaten because it has received malignant qi. Why single out Zhegu as being taken by spirits to feast the Emperor? Such talk is vulgar! Fat...
[Indications] Apply to hand fissures and chilblains to prevent cracking (Su Song).

Bamboo Partridge (From *Shi Yi Ben Cao*)
[Names] Shan Jun Zi (Tsang Qi), Ji Tou Hu (*Su Dongpo Ji*), Ni Hua Hua.
Li Shizhen says: Jun Zi means the taste is delicious like mushrooms. People in Shu call it Ji Tou Hu; southerners call it Ni Hua Hua, due to its sound.
[Collected Explanations] Tsang Qi says: Shan Jun Zi grows in the mountains and forests of Jiangdong. It looks like a small chick and has no tail.
Li Shizhen says: Bamboo Partridge is now found everywhere in Jiangnan, Sichuan, and Guangdong, mostly inhabiting bamboo forests. It is slightly smaller than Zhegu, brown with many spots and red stripes. It loves to cry and fights whenever it sees its kind. Hunters use decoy birds to incite fighting, then net them. The proverb says: If there is a Bamboo Partridge crying at home, termites turn to mud. Because it likes to eat ants. It can also repel bedbugs. The meat...

[Flavor and Properties] Sweet, neutral, non-toxic.
Li Shizhen says: According to *Tang Xiao Shuo*: Duke Cui died suddenly. Imperial Physician Liang Xin diagnosed: Food poisoning. The servant replied: He liked to eat Bamboo Partridge. Liang Xin said: Bamboo Partridge eats Pinellia seedlings; this is the toxicity. He ordered crushed ginger juice to be forced into the mouth through the teeth, and the patient revived. Thus, the treatments for Zhegu toxicity by Wu Tingshao and Yang Jilao seem to derive from this precedent.
[Indications] Treats pheasant disease, kills parasites; boil or roast and eat (Tsang Qi).
[Appendix] Cedar Chicken Li Shizhen says: According to *Lin Hai Yi Wu Zhi*: In Min-Yue, there is a Cedar Chicken, which dwells under cedar trees. It has long yellow hair on its head, a cyan crown and cheeks, resembling hanging... It is edible, like the Bamboo Partridge.