The Game Birds. 119 



much of their time, especially iu wet weather, on tlieir perches, 

 and the young fly up and spring from branch to branch within 

 a few daj's of hatching, and are yevy well provided with flight 

 feathers at a tender age, as I have elsewhere recorded. 



After a few weeks the young Tragopans, like the Monals, 

 show an inclination to perch at night, and as they are by that 

 time probabh' too large for the hen (if they are hatched under a 

 foster mother) to properly brood. It is best to run her into a dr\'^ 

 shed at night provided with perches of various heights. I have 

 always taken the eggs and hatched them under small hens, 

 Silkies and Game Bantams, as the clutches are small, two or 

 three eggs, generally the former, and this probably induces the 

 bird to lay again. After ten days or a fortnight, the young thrive 

 best if allowed to run free during the day with the hen in some 

 quiet place where the grass is allowed to grow long. Fresh ants' 

 eggs, gentles, chopped egg, lettuce and meal, and when available, 

 red currants or raspberries are all suitable food. 



This faculty of climbing about trees renders it necessary 

 to take great care that no bough of a tree within the enclosure 

 extends to the fence, or the birds will probably escape, as the\^ 

 will creep out to the end of a slender branch and spring thence 

 to a surprising distance. For the same reason, if kept in open 

 enclosures, Tragopans must be rather closely pinioned. 



The only member of the group of Alonals that the amateur 

 is likely to admire is the magnificent Lophophonis sHendeyis, and 

 it is scarcely possible to conceive anything more splendid than a 

 well-conditioned male bird of this species, and, fortunatelj', their 

 plumage is hard and they generally keep themselves smart. 

 Much that I have said about Tragopans will apply to Monals, 

 especially as to variety of food. But this is a much more hardy 

 species, and though it is well to give shelter to the birds of the 

 year in their first winter, the adults can stand any reasonable 

 amount of cold, and if, as all wild creatures try to do, they can 

 avoid the combination of wind and wet, they will get through 

 our winters well enough. 



The hen Monal makes her nest on the ground, and my 

 birds have laid two or three eggs. Thej' are excellent parents 

 and will rear their young quite well if in an enclosure by them- 



