88 



RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



is varied with different shades of brown and 

 black on the upper parts of the bodj', and 

 with greyish brown, black and white on the 

 under side ; the back is enlivened by pale 

 yellow markings, and the under side bj^ 

 irregular white spots. The length of the fe- 

 male is twent3'-three inches, the breadth 

 thirty-one inches and a half; the wing 

 measures nine inches and a half, and the 

 tail eight inches and a half. 



These birds are found from the western 

 borders of Nepaul to the extreme North- 

 west Himalayas ; the}' are not very common 

 near Simla and Mussooree, but are more 

 plentiful near Almora. 



" Their usual haunts," says " Mountain- 

 eer," " are high up, not far from the snows, 

 in dense and gloomy forests, where they 

 live either alone or in small scattered par- 

 ties. In winter they descend the hills, and 

 then their favorite haunts are in the thickest 

 parts of the forests of oak, chestnut, and 

 morenda pine, where the box-tree is abund- 

 ant, and where under the forest trees a 

 luxuriant growth of 'ringalt'or the hill 

 bamboo forms an underwood in some places 

 almost impenetrable. The\- keep in com- 

 panies of from two or three to ten or a 

 dozen or more, not in compact flocks, but 

 scattered widely over a considerable space 

 of forest, so that many at times get quite 

 separated, and are found alone." Jerdon 

 tells us, " that if undisturbed they gener- 

 ally remain prett\' close together, and appear 

 to return 3'ear after year to the same spot, 

 even though the ground be covered with 

 snow, for they find their living then upon 

 the trees. If driven awa}' from the forest 

 by an unusually severe storm or any other 

 cause, they ma}' be found at this season in 

 small clumps of trees, wooded ravines, or 

 patches of low brushwood. 



" At this season, with the exception of 

 its cry of alarm wlien disturbed, the Jewar 

 is altogether mute, and is never heard of its 

 own accord to utter a call or note of any 

 kind ; unlike the rest of our pheasants, all 

 of which occasionall}' crow or call at all 

 seasons. When alarmed it utters a succes- 

 sion of wailing cries, not unlike those of a 

 lamb or kid, like the syllables ' waa, waa, 

 waa,' each syllable uttered slowly and dis- 

 tinctU' at first, and more rapidly as the bird 

 is hard pressed and about ^o take wing. 

 Where not repeatedl}' disturbed it is not 



particularly shy, and seldom takes alarm 

 till a person is in its immediate vicinity, 

 when it creeps slowly through the under- 

 wood, or flies up into a tree ; in the former 

 case continuing its call till again stationary, 

 and in the latter till it has concealed itself 

 among the branches. If several are to- 

 gether all begin to call at once, and run off 

 in different directions, some running into 

 the trees, others running along the ground. 

 When first put up they often alight in one 

 of the nearest trees ; but if again flushed the 

 second flight is generally to some distance, 

 and almost always down-hill. Their flight 

 is rapid, and the whirr produced by the 

 wings peculiar, so that even when the bird 

 is not seen it may be distinguished from any 

 other species. Where their haunts are 

 often visited, either by the sportsmen or the 

 villagers, they are more wary, and if such 

 visits are of regular occurrence and con- 

 tinue for any length of time, they become 

 alert in a very high degree ; so much so that 

 it is impossible to conceive a forest bird more 

 sh}' or cunning. The}' then, as soon as 

 aware of the presence of any one in the 

 forest, after calHng once or twice, or with- 

 out doing so at all, fly up into the trees, 

 which near their haunts are almost always 

 evergreens of the densest foliage, and con- 

 ceal themselves so artfully among the 

 tangled leaves and branches that unless one 

 has been seen to fly into a particular tree, 

 and it has been well marked down, it is al- 

 most impossible to find them. In spring, 

 as the snow begins to melt on the higher 

 parts of the hills, they entirely leave their 

 winter resorts, and gradually separate and 

 spread themselves through the more remote 

 and distant woods, up to the region of birch 

 and white rhododendron, and almost to the 

 extreme limits of forest. Early in April 

 they begin to pair, and the males are then 

 more generally met with than at at any 

 other period ; they seem to wander about 

 a great deal, are almost always found alone, 

 and often call, at intervals, all day long. 

 When thus calling, the bird is generally 

 perched on the thick branch of a tree, or 

 the trunk of one which has fallen to the 

 ground, or on a large stone ; the call is sim- 

 ilar to the one they utter when disturbed, 

 but it is much louder and only one single 

 note at a time — a loud energetic • waa,' 

 not unlike the bleating of a lost goat — and 



