LINEATED KALIJ 191 



pencilling of black and white lines, such as is seen on the backs 

 of many of the males of the duck tribe, but very rarely elsewhere ; 

 it is irregular and does not follow the edges of the feathers. 



The hen bird is quite like the hens of the white-breasted and 

 purple kalijes in form, and is also brown above, but her under 

 plumage and neck are different, as are also the outer tail-feathers, 

 being variegated, the former with well-marked white streaks, the 

 latter with tranverse pencillings of white on the black ground. 



The lineated kalij, like the purple, does not range high up, 

 even 4,000 feet being generally higher than it cares to go, 

 while it has no objection to sea-level if it can get suitable 

 jungly cover and ravines or similar declivities. What it especially 

 likes is long grass, bamboos, small trees, and brushwood, on hill- 

 sides ; and it prefers deciduous-leaved trees to evergreen forest. 

 On account of the steepness and treacherous character of much 

 of the ground it frequents, it is often not easy to shoot, and is 

 a great runner, though a dog will put it up readily enough. 



It has, in fact, the regular kalij habits ; it is, for instance, 

 usually found in pairs, though broods may keep together. The 

 cock challenges by whirring with his wings ; the alarm-note is 

 a whistled yit, whence no doubt the native name in Burmese. In 

 Arrakanese the name is Bak, in Karen Phugyk, while the Talain 

 name is Synklouk. 



It is a mixed feeder, but has a special liking for ants, black 

 as well as white, and for the figs of the peepul ; in places where 

 it can get the succulent shoot of a certain orchid to feed upon 

 it can do without water for some time, but usually likes to be 

 near it, drinking at about 10 a.m. In some localities it avoids 

 cultivation altogether, in others it will come freely out into rice 

 fields to obtain grain. It also feeds on young leaves and grass. 



One curious habit, observed by Colonel Bingham, is that it 

 often comes into clearings on bright moonlight nights, a most 

 curious trait in a pheasant or any nearly allied bird. Chicks 

 are said to be hard to rear, but the species has often been brought 

 to Europe, and, hke the purple, was on view at the London Zoo 

 at the time of writing. 



It has hybridized in captivity with the Chinese silver 

 pheasant, the resulting hybrid being practically identical with 



