PHASIANIN^. 529 



another, but never entirely abandon the place, and year after year 

 may to a certainty be found in some quarter of it. During the 

 day, unless dark and cloudy, they keep concealed in the grass and 

 bushes, coming out morning and evening to feed ; when come 

 upon suddenly while out, they run off quickly in different directions, 

 and conceal themselves in the nearest cover, and seldom more than 

 one or two get on the wing. They run very fast, and if the ground 

 is open and no cover near, many will run two or three hundred 

 yards in preference to getting up. After concealing themselves, they 

 lie very close and are flushed within a few yards. There is perhaps 

 no bird of its size which is so difficult to find, after the flock have 

 been disturbed, and they have concealed themselves ; when the 

 grass is very long, even if marked doAvn, without a good dog it is 

 often impossible, and with the assistance of the best dogs not one- 

 half will be found a second time. A person may walk within a 

 yard of one and it will not move. I have knocked them over 

 with a stick, and even taken them with the hand. In autumn the 

 long rank grass so prevalent about many of the places they resort 

 . to, enables them to hide almost anywhere ; but this is burnt 

 by the villagers at the end of winter, and they then seek refuge 

 in low jungle and brushwood, and with a dog are not so difficult 

 to find. 



" Both males and females often crow at daybreak and dusk, and 

 in cloudy weather sometimes during the day. The crow is loud 

 and singular, and when there is nothing to interrupt the sound, 

 may be heard for at least a mile. It is something like the words, 

 chir a fir, cliir a pir, chir chir, chirioa, cJiinoa, but a good deal 

 varied ; it is often begun before complete daylight, and in spring 

 when the birds are numerous, it invariably ushers in the day. 

 In this respect it may rival the domestic Cock. When pairing 

 and scattered about, the crow is often kept up for near half an 

 hour, first from one quarter, then another, and now an/d then all 

 seem to join in as a chorus. At other times it seldom lasts more 

 than five or ten minutes. 



" The Cheer-pheasant feeds chiefly on roots, for which it digs 

 holes in the ground ; grubs, insects, seeds and berries, and, if near 

 cultivated fields, several kinds of grain form a portion ; it does 



PART II. 3 X 



