346 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXV. 



" Crawford's or Anderson's Silver Pheasant with which I unite 

 " Mr. Gates' G. rufipes from the Ruby Mines." 

 Mdification. — Nothing recorded. I am told by my correspon- 

 dents that March and April are the two principal breeding months 

 for this Pheasant, though none of them have so far been successful 

 in taking eggs or chicks. 



"It is probable that they will be found to breed in the two 

 months mentioned and in May as well. 



General Habits. — Captain Nisbett writes as follows: — 



" These birds are found at an altitude between 3,000 and 

 " 5.000 feet. They are generally found in parties of 8 to 7, 

 "though the males often wander about by themselves. They 

 " generally keep in the nullahs near the water during the heat 

 "of the day, and in the early mornings and towards evenings 

 " feed along the hillsides and on high ground, being especially 

 " fond of long flattish spurs or knolls covered with open ever- 

 " green forest. They are intensely shy, and one rarely has an 

 " opportunity of seeing them, as they make off very quickly on 

 "hearing anyone coming, and then rarely take to flight, unless 

 "run down by dogs, when they fly up into the trees. They 

 " are confirmed runners, and it is often hard to make them 

 " take flight even with dogs. Their food consists entirely of 

 "jungle seeds, insects and acorns. My usual way of obtainino- 

 " them was to walk very quickly along a jungle path until I 

 " heard the sound of their scratching up the dry leaves in 

 "search of food. I would then send a cooli, who always 

 " accompanied me, to take a circuit in the jungle and get 

 " round them ; and on his advancing towards them, they 

 " nearly always came within shot. This sounds like poaching, 

 " but it is the only way of getting them : shooting them in a 

 " fair way is impossible. On my first acquaintance with 

 "them, it took me over a fortnight to get a single specimen, 

 " though I met them every day. 



" The breeding season begins about April, when the cocks 

 " can be heard challenging one another in the early morning. 

 "When breeding, they appear to leave their usual haunts 

 " in the open jungle, and disappear altogether, probably in 

 "the thick undergrowth. Since the end of April I have 

 " hardly come across a bird, though I constantly met them 

 " before. 



" I have not been successful in obtaining any eggs, though 



" I have asked Kachins to try and get me some." 



All that can be added at present to the above is that after April 



the birds probably go into the still higher hills to breed, which 



would account for Capt. Nisbett never putting the birds up, and 



for the Kachins failing to obtain eggs. 



