MONAUL 213 



tragopans, the group being as much ahke in their ways as they 

 are in their general appearance, although the species are so well 

 characterized and distinct. The cry is evidently some sort of a 

 bleat as in the other species, as it is said to be expressed in the 

 syllable " aA." 



The habitat of the bird is high jungle, and it does not 

 seem to range lower than 5,000 feet, while going up to the 

 tops of its native hills. The breeding season is said to be in 

 April, and three or four eggs to form the full clutch ; these 

 eggs appear to be of the buff, brown-spotted type, normal 

 in the group. 



In Cachar Mr. E. G. S. Baker once watched, in April, a pair, 

 of which the male was " busy courting the hen who refused all 

 advances. They behaved exactly like domestic fowls, and the 

 cock kept running round the female with trailing wing." This, 

 however, judging from what has been seen of other better-known 

 tragopans, would only be the simpler and commoner form of 

 display, so that the full show posture evidently remains to be 

 recorded. 



One of the first specimens known was sent home alive to the 

 Zoo, and they have had several others since ; in fact, the bird 

 seems to have become better known in captivity than in its 

 wild state. 



Monaul. 



Lophophorus refulgens. Munal, Hindustani. 



An American naturalist has well said that this gorgeous bird 

 reminds one of a humming-bird enlarged to the size of a fowl ; 

 and really this does give one some idea of the remarkable 

 appearance of this glory of our hills, for only among the 

 humming-birds do we find such brilliant green and copper as 

 clothe the cock monaul's head and neck, while the purple and 

 blue of his back and wings are only second in brilliancy to the 

 tints further forward. As the bird flies off, however, two more 

 hues are particularly striking, the snow-white patch in the middle 

 of the back, completely hidden in repose by the wings, and the 

 rich chestnut of the short broad partridge-like tail. In fact, in 



