THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA. 889 



In 1910 the nest was again found by Mr. S. L. Whymper on 

 the 6th June. In a letter he says : 



" The on]_y nest I ever siw of the Tragopan, presumably 

 'luelanocephalus, \yas in theNila Valley, West of the Bhagirathi 

 in Garhwal. The birds were still about the nest, but this 

 had been plundered by some vermin and deserted ; it was 

 quite a respectable loose stick nest with a little grass lining, 

 which had been much disturbed by the plunderer. It was placed 

 under the protection of a small bush growing in an open glade 

 in very dense Ringal Jungle on a steep and rocky hillside. 



" The fragments of eggs, in one case practicallj' half an 



egg, scattered round the nest agree fairly well with Hume's 



description." 



Finall}', Beebe found a nest in Native Garhwal which also was 



built on a ti'ee, but unfortunately he omits to state at what height 



from the ground. In this case the nest was evidently that of 



some other bird, probably a crow of some kind, according to 



Beebe, but had been relined and renovated by the Tragopans. It 



was a big bulky affair, but well concealed in a tree with dense 



foliage and many creepers. ' The nest itself was formed ot sticks 



and grass, evidently placed in position early that year, and was 



lined again by the Tragopan with fresh twigs, oak leaves and grass. 



Two eggs sent me from Pir Panjab, Kashmir, taken in June, 



1901, are said to have been taken from a stick nest in a tree. 



The eggs differ from the those of Tragopan satyra in being much 

 paler and much less round in shape ; they also average a good 

 deal bigger. The four eggs in the British Museum collection 

 taken hj Capt. Lautour, and a fifth from the same clutch in my 

 own collection and the eggs taken by Mr. Hughes are all a very 

 pale stone-buff, freckled and mottled all over with a dirty -pale grey 

 or lilac-brown, making the eggs look very dull. The t\\o eggs 

 taken in Pir Panjab and sent to me are very similar, but have the 

 freckles and mottlings so pale that unless examined closely, they 

 are hardh^ noticeable ; and the eggs in the Calcutta Museum from 

 the same place are much the same. The texture is similar to that 

 of a hen's egg, but without any gloss whatsoever, and decidedly 

 more fragile. In shape they are long ovals, in all but one speci- 

 men distinctly pointed at the smaller end. 



The breeding season commences, judging from the scanty infor- 

 mation available, in the middle of May, and extends to the end of 

 June. Beebe, who omits dates in so many notes in his valuable 

 work, does not say when he found his nest, but judging from the 

 context which gives the names of other birds breeding and of 

 flowers in flower, it was in early May. 



This Tragopan is monogamous, like the others of its genus, and 

 appears to be a good father and husband, assisting to look after 



