THE GAME BIRDS OF 2M)IA. 27 



" They do not, however, crow the whole j'ear through, but 

 " only from October to ]\lay, when they are in full plumage. 



" When flushed by a dog in the jungle, the}' flutter up into 

 " some tree above with a peculiar cackle, a ' Kuch-lcuck-lcuck, ' 

 " which, however, they onh" continue till they alight. 



" They come into the open in the mornings and evenings, 

 " retiring to cover during the heat of the day, unless the 

 '• weather is cloudy, when they, may be met with in the open 

 " throughout the day. 



" Though found in evergreen forests, tliey seem to prefer 

 " moderatelv thin and bamboo iungle, 



" Ordinarily, as already remarked, thej- are found scattered ; 

 " but when a tract of bamboo comes into seed, or any other 

 "particular food is locally abundant, they collect there in vast 

 " numbers, dispersing again as soon as the food is consumed. 

 " I remember on one occasion when the undergrowth of the 

 " Sholas about Pykarra (which consists almost entirelj' of 

 " Strohilanthes sjj.) seeded, the Jungle-fowl congregated there 

 " in the greatest numbers. I mean by hundreds, and were 

 '•' excessively numerous for more than a fortnight, when they 

 " gradually dispersed, owing, I believe, not so much to the 

 " seeds having all been eaten, as to what remained of them 

 " having sprouted and so become uneatable. 



" In some ways they are not very shy ; by taking an early 

 " stroll, even without a dog, along some quiet road by which 

 " cattle and grain pass, several can always be obtained, but 

 *• when they have been at all disturbed and shot at, they 

 " become very wary, and even with a dog, before which they 

 " ordinarily perch at once, they are very difficult to secure. In 

 " such cases they run till they think they are out of shot, and 

 " then rise, and instead of perching, take a long flight, often 

 " of many hundred yards, and when they do alight, commence 

 •' running again. 



" When out feeding they do not usually' wander far from 

 " cover, and on any indication of danger they dart back into 

 " this. They do not, however, go far in, generally only for a 

 "very short distance, before stopping to listen, when, if all 

 " seems quiet, they reappear in a short time within a few 

 " yards of the spot at which they entered. If, on the contrary, 

 " after listening thej- think that there is still danger, thej- 

 " then retreat quietlj' and silently into the depths of the 

 "jungle; occasional!}", after they have got some distance 

 " flying up and hiding themselves in some bushy tree. 



'• When, however, as sometimes, though rarely happens, 

 "' they are surprised some distance out in the open, they 

 *' do not ran but rise at once and flv for the nearest cover, 



