SPUR FOWL 



hausted the " local " birds, I now come to a grand species 

 which may be met with practically all over Ceylon, at 

 all elevations from sea-level to 8000 feet, namely, the 

 jungle cock (Gallus Lafayetti). I have met with it, in great 

 profusion, in all the forests of the North Central Province 

 and central parts of the Northern Province. It is a forest 

 dweller but is found often enough in the " lantana " scrub 

 in the planting districts. This grand bird, which is pecu- 

 liar to Ceylon (the Indian species differ), may be roughly 

 likened to a very brilliant-coloured domestic cock, with 

 a huge red-and-yellow comb and red wattles. Captain 

 Legge's technical description, condensed, is as follows : 



Length of examples with fine tails, 26 to 28 inches; 

 face, throat, and wattles livid or purplish-red ; comb, 

 bright red, with a large interior yellow patch ; bill, 

 brownish-red ; legs and feet, wax-yellow ; hackles and 

 margins of lesser wing coverts, pale, shining golden yellow, 

 changing to glistening yellowish-red on back, median wing 

 coverts, chest, breast, and lanceolate portions of the rump 

 feathers, and into the duller hue of head and nape ; tail 

 and greater wing coverts, greenish black ; belly and thighs, 

 dull black. The hen is very much of the hen pheasant 

 type and colour, and is a good deal smaller than the cock. 

 These fine birds are the shyest of the shy in the remote 

 forests, but curiously enough they often come out into 

 a cart-road and do not mind carts passing them, though 

 a man on foot will send them scooting. In the early 

 morning, at midday, and again in the evening, their 

 peculiar " George Joyce " call may be heard everywhere 

 in the jungle. Captain Legge says that this species does 

 not, like the domestic fowl, utter its call before daybreak ; 

 but in this I venture to think he is partly wrong, as here 

 and there one does crow before daylight, for I have more 



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