THE SNOW-COCKS. 87 



Adult Male and Female. — General colour above grey and buff; 

 throat white, divided by a dark chestnut band from the upper 

 breast, which is white, barred with black ; rest of under-parts 

 dark grey ; a large chestnut patch on each side of the nape. 

 Basal two-thirds of the outer (primary) flight-feathers white, but 

 the inner (secondary) flight-feathers with only traces of white 

 at the base of the shaft. 



Male: Total length, 25-5 inches; wing, i2'6; tail, 7-8; tar- 

 sus, 2*8. 



Female: Total length, 22*5 inches; wing, io-8 ; tail, 6'8 ; 

 tarsus, 2*5. 



Range. — Higher ranges of the Himalayas, extending west to 

 the Hindu Kush and northwards through the Altai Mountains. 



Habits. — The following is extracted from Mr. Wilson's account 

 of the Himalayan Snow-Cock, or Snow Pheasant, known as the 

 " Jer-moonal " in the Hills north of Masuri. "It is confined 

 exclusively to the snowy ranges, or the large spurs jutting from 

 them which are elevated above the limits of forest, but is 

 driven by the snows of winter to perform one, and in some 

 places two, annual migrations to the middle regions; in 

 summer they are only seen near the limits of vegetation. In 

 Kunawar they are common at all seasons from Cheenee 

 upwards, but on the Gangetic hills, from June till August, 

 however much a person wanders about on the highest access- 

 ible places, but few are met with, and I have no doubt what- 

 ever but that nearly all those, which at other seasons frequent 

 this part, retire across the snow into Chinese Tibet to breed. 

 About the beginning of September they are first seen near 

 the tops of the higher grassy ridges, jutting from the snow and 

 the green slopes above, and about the limits of forest. After 

 the first general and severe fall of snow they come down in 

 numbers on to some of the bare exposed hills in the forest 

 regions, and remain there till the end of March. This partial 

 migration is probably made in the night after the fall of snow, 



