THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA. 899 



the breedine- season, but thev seldom did one another much 

 harm, the weaker bird promptly apologising and retiring to a 

 distant part of the aviar}^ whilst the stronger was quite 

 content to strut around, and proclaim in loud (juaivks what 

 he would have done had it ever come to a fight. 



" The cocks had a luagnificent loud clanging, almost 

 trumpet-like call which the}^ uttered only at da^^break during 

 the breeding season ; it was rather like a mild and musical call 

 of a Peafowl, but shorter and not neai'ly so harsh. 



" The Nagas, especiall}'- the Angamis, are adepts at catching 

 these Tragopans in nooses, and on one occasion I had no less 

 than 30 of these beautiful birds brought to me." 

 Mr. J. P. Mills, of the Indian Civil Service, sends nie the fol- 

 lowing interesting notes on this Tragopan from Mokokchung in the 

 Naga Hills : — 



" This Tragopan inhabits evergreen forest at about 6,000 feet 

 and over, going about in the non-breeding season, in small 

 parties which may number as many as four or five. The call 

 in unmistakable, sounding something between a bleat and a 

 loud "mi-a-ou." It runs well but does not readily fly. Its 

 diet consists largely of flies, small leaves and shoots and one 

 which I had in captivity could only bo induced to eat mustard 

 leaves (the stuff" Goorkhas call lai-patta, which I expect you 

 know). It stands captivity very badly and soon loses condi- 

 tion, even if it does not die of shock within an hour' or two 

 of being caught. 



" The Sema Nagas call it " ar/hah " and the Chang Nagas 

 " Aogho " which means "The foolish bird." Certainly, it 

 seems to act up to its name for the Changs catch it as follows : 

 A man goes through a likely piece of jungle chopping occasion- 

 ally at a tree with his dao as he wanders along. If a 

 Tragopan is anj'-where near it promptly replies to the sound, 

 for it is their custom to call whenever they hear any unusual 

 sound. The man the^i chops lumps of bark and wood of the 

 tree and arranges snares in a circle all round it. Plies 

 promptly comes in numbers to suck up the fresh sap and the 

 Tragopans are attracted in trees by the flies, and in attempt- 

 ing to catch them are themselves caught in the nooses. Tra- 

 gopans are very conservative in keeping regularly to certain 

 runs in the forest, and both Semas and Changs take advantage 

 of this to noose them in the runnings they most frequent." 



Tragopan blythi molesworthi. 



The Tibetan Trcu/opan. 

 Tragopan blythi molesworthi — Stuart Baker, Bull. B.O.C., xxxv. p. 18 

 (1914) (Tibet). Bailey, Journal, B. N. H. Soc, xxiv. p. 76 (1915) (Tse-La 

 Tawang). Beebe, Pheasants, i. p. 86 (1919). 



