Cheer- Pheasa nts. 295 



in flocks of from five or six to ten or 

 fifteen, and seldom more than two or 

 three lots inhabit the same hill. They 

 wander about a good deal on the particular 

 hill where they are located, but not beyond 

 certain boundaries, remaining about one 

 spot for several days or weeks, then shifting 

 to another, but never entirely abandoning 

 the place, and year after year may to a 

 certainty be found in some quarter of it. 

 .... Both males and females crow at 

 daybreak and dusk, and in cloudy weather 

 sometimes during the day. The crow is 

 loud and singular, and when there is 

 nothing to interrupt the sound, may be 

 heard for at least a mile. It is something 

 like the words chir a pir, chir a pir, chir 

 chir, chirtva, chirzva, but a good deal 

 varied ; it is often begun before complete 

 daylight, and in spring, when the birds 

 are numerous, it invariably ushers in the 

 day. In this respect it may rival the 

 domestic cock. When pairing and 

 scattered about, the crow is often kept 

 up for near half an hour, first from one 

 quarter, then another, and now and then 

 all seem to join in as a chorus. At other 

 times it seldom lasts more than five or 

 ten minutes. The Cheer-Pheasant feeds 

 chiefly on roots, for which it digs holes in 



