PURPLE OR HORSFIELD'S KALIJ 189 



shape, not pointed ; from this it is often called the black-breasted 

 kalij, a rather misleading name, as it gives the impression that 

 the black breast contrasts with the upper surface, which is not 

 the case. In fact, the bird is the most simply and uniformly- 

 coloured of all our pheasants, its purple-glossed black plumage 

 being only relieved by white bars on the lower back. The crest 

 is long and narrow. 



The hen bird is very similar to the hens of the three white- 

 breasted kalijes, both in plumage and crest ; the only special 

 point she shows is the contrast between the reddish-brown of the 

 central tail-feathers with the more olive-brown of the rump ; 

 but the difference is slight, and she can hardly be picked out 

 from the others above-mentioned, while curiously enough she 

 has no such near resemblance in colour to the hen of the lineated 

 pheasant next to be dealt with, a much closer ally. 



The purple or black-breasted kalij is a hill-bird like the group 

 generally, and ranges from Chittagong to the Daphia hills and 

 Eastern Bhutan, extending also to the northern parts of Arrakan 

 and to Burma as far as Bhamo ; Southern Manipur is also 

 within its range, but its exact limits are not very easy to 

 determine, as interbreeding between it and other forms 

 undoubtedly goes on. It is not so high in its range on the 

 hills as the white-breasted kalijes, seldom going above 4,000 

 feet and haunting jungle at the edge of cultivation and along 

 rivers. Except for this, its habits, like its size, show no par- 

 ticular distinction from those of the three previous kalijes. It 

 keeps mostly to cover, and only shows sport when hunted up 

 with dogs, when it often takes to trees. Well-wooded hills and 

 ravines are favourite resorts, and only a few birds are seen 

 together, pairs being more usual, though as many as eight or 

 even eleven birds have been seen in a party. When flushed it 

 rises noisily, and with a shrill repeated cheep. 



The cocks are exceedingly pugnacious ; two have been found 

 fighting with such fury that both were captured by hand, in a 

 much pecked and exhausted state ; and one has been seen to 

 stand up for some time to a red jungle-cock, which won in the 

 end, the casus belli having been a white ant heap, on the 

 swarming inmates of which these cantankerous birds could not 



