The kaltj pheasants. ^75 



II is difficult to secure more than two out of one batch. It is 

 a case of pouncing on them at once or losing them. The 

 mother is a great coward, running away at the slightest alarm, 

 and thus contrasting very unfavourably with the Jungle Fowl, 

 which keeps running round and round the intruder with great 

 anxiety, till her young ones are in safety. The young ones are 

 very difficult to rear. From some cause or other they become 

 paralysed, lose the use of their legs, languish, and die. This 

 Pheasant is not very shy ; on the contrary, it is rather tame ; 

 but it has the habit of sneaking quietly away, and very few birds 

 will be seen by one who does not know its peculiarities. It 

 never takes wing unless suddenly surprised, when it will skim 

 across the valley and alight again as soon as possible. Its 

 only call is a low chuckle, frequently uttered both when alarmed 

 and when going to roost." 



Writing from Northern Pegu, Captain Feilden says : " An 

 old male is a most extraordinary-looking bird. The tail only 

 is seen moving through the long grass, and I invariably thought 

 at first that it was some new Porcupine or Badger, or some 

 animal. The note, too, adds to the deception ; it reminded 

 me a Utile of the cries of young Ferrets." 



It is curious how the habits of this species differ in different 

 parts of its range. The late Mr. W. Davison tells us that in 

 Tenasserim "they come continually into the open to feed 

 about rice-fields and clearings. They are shy, and usually run 

 in preference to flying when disturbed, except when put up by 

 a dog, when they immediately perch 



" They seem to prefer bamboo, or moderately thin tree- 

 jungle, to dense forest." 



Referring to the mode in which the Burmans capture this 

 Kalij by means of a decoy bird, he goes on to say :— " It 

 is, I notice, a mistake to suppose that this plan of capturing 

 the males can only be adopted in the breeding-season. The 

 tame male can always be induced to ' buzz ' by imitating the 

 sound from some place hidden to him. This the Burmans do 



T 2 



