324 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVI. 



colour change in tlie plumage taking place without a moult from the 

 pied brown and buff to a metallic green or purple, indeed every moult- 

 ing bird confirms the belief that this change is one entirely caused by 

 actual moult. 



Distribution. — Afghanistan, Chitral, and the Western Himalayas 

 through Kashmir, Garhwal, Nepal, Sikkim, Native Sikkim, Bhutan 

 of the Chambi Valley and South Tibet. 



How far West this bird penetrates into Afghanistan is not yet known, 

 but it does not seem to be found near Kabul, though it is very common 

 in the Safed Koh Eange and thence North-East through Kafirstan 

 and Chitral. Its extreme Eastern limits appear to be Central Bhutan 

 and, when living in Kamroop, a district of Assam South of Bhutan, 

 I could never hear of its being fomid anywhere to the East of Dewan- 

 giri, though the Bhuteas knew the birds and sometimes obtained the 

 skins from further West. 



Nidijicatioii. — ^The Moonal breeds during May and June ; a few birds 

 may begin to lay in the last week of April in the lower hills and, on 

 the other hand, in the higher ranges eggs may be found as late as July. 

 The earliest date I have recorded is the 1st of May 1910, and the latest 

 is 26th June 1909, clutches of 5 and 4 eggs respectively taken by Mr. 

 S. L. Whymper in Tehri Garhwal. It should be noted, however, that 

 Whitehead found young birds fairly strong on the wing " on the 27th 

 June " so that the eggs must sometimes be laid early in April. 



They breed as low down as 8,000 feet and rarely even lower than 

 this as there is a very old record of a nest having been found below 

 Simla at about 7,500 feet ; most birds, however, breed above rather 

 than under 10,000 feet and they may be found up to 14,000 and 

 15,000 feet during the breeding season. 



They invariably lay their eggs in forest but it is not imperative 

 that this should be of the densest. Mr. Whymper, who has taken 

 many nests of this Pheasant in Garhwal, informs me that — 



" The majority of nests, if one may use such a term, are to be 

 "found in forest consisting of big trees but not with very thick 

 " undergrowth, indeed I have more than once taken them in 

 "places where the growth was so light one could walk in 

 " comfort except for the fact that the ground was much broken. 

 " The nest is a mere scratching in the earth, generally hollowed 

 " out by the bird itself, under the shelter of a big bush, the 

 " bole of some large forest tree or, perhaps, a rock. As far as 

 " I have seen there is no attempt made to form a nest in this 

 "hollow. Where the trees are deciduous and many leaves 

 "have fallen these naturally collect in any hollow and thus 

 "form a bed for the eggs, but in evergreen forest, such as forms 

 "the usual habitat of the Moonal, the hollow is often quite 

 " unlined except for a few casual leaves and a few odd feathers 

 "fallen from the bird itself. I have never taken more than 



