THE JUNGLE- FOWL. 53 



the branches of trees. Mr. Blyth has remarked that his cross- 

 bred eggs never produced chicks, but I have never found 

 any difficulty in this respect. The crowing of the cock-birds 

 is very shrill, and like that of the Frizzled Bantams. In the 

 wild state it is monogamous." 



Mr. Hume remarks again : — " I do not agree with Hutton 

 that they are always monogamous, because I have constantly 

 found several hens in company with a single cock, but I have 

 also repeatedly shot pairs without finding a single other hen in 

 the neighbourhood ; and if you have good dogs (and you can 

 do nothing in jungle with either these or Pheasants without 

 dogs) you are sure to see and hear^ even if you get no shot at 

 them, all the birds there are." 



Nest. — Generally a shallow hole scraped out of a heap of 

 dead leaves in any dense t^iicket, from almost sea-level up to 

 5,000 feet. The period of incubation varies from January to 

 July, according to locality, being earlier farther south. 



Eggs. — Usually five or six in number, though as many as 

 nine eggs are sometimes found, and Major Wardlaw Ramsay 

 took a nest in Karen-nee containing eleven eggs. 



Typically like miniature hen's eggs, but varying much in 

 size and shape; generally pale yellowish-brown, but occasion- 

 ally reddish-brown. Average measurements, 178 by 1-36 

 inch. 



n. THE CEYLON JUNGLE-FOWL. GALLUS LAFAVETTL 



Galhis lafayetii^ Lesson, Traite d'Orn. p. 491 (1831). 



Gallus stanleyi, J. E. Gray, 111. Ind. Zool. i. pi. 43, fig. i. 

 (1830-32); Hume and Marshall, Game Birds Ind. i. 

 pi. (1878). 



Gallus lafayetli, Dcs Murs, Icon. Orn. pi. 18 (1849); Elliot, 

 Monogr. Phasian. ii. pi. 33 (1872) ; Legge, B. Ceylon, 

 iii. p. 736, cum tab. (1880); Gates, ed. Hume's Nests and 

 Eggs Ind. B. iii. p. 442 (1890); Ogilvic-Grant, Cat. B. 

 Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 348 (1893J. 



