144 



Kullu, Lupu, Baera, Western Nepal : Huinwal, Kiimaun ; Jcr-monal, 

 hills N. of Mussooree ; Leep, Kulu ; Galound, Chamba ; Gourkayu., 

 Kubuk, Kashmir ; Kabk-i-dara, P. (Afghanistan) ; Snow-Pheasant of 

 Himalayan sportsmen. 



Coloration. Forehead and supercilia buffy white ; crown and 

 hind neck ashy grey, sides of head the same but paler ; sides of neck 

 and the chin and throat white ; a chestnut streak from behind each 

 eye expands into a broad patch on each side of the nape, and a 

 deep-coloured chestnut gorget runs round the throat; upper 

 back buffy grey, slightly mottled ; rest of upper plumage black, 

 finely vermiculated with buff ; feathers of lower back, rump, and 

 scapulars broadly edged on both sides with buff, and the median 

 and greater secondary wing-coverts with chestnut ; primaries 

 white, with long ashy-brown ends which increase in length on the 

 secondaries, and are vermiculated with rufous buff towards the 

 tips ; middle tail-feathers like the back, but without buff edges, 

 outer tail-feathers chestnut towards the tips ; upper breast greyish 

 white, with subterminal broad black bars (sometimes wanting) to 

 the feathers, then a band of pure white ; lower breast and abdomen 

 blackish grey, finely vermiculated with buff ; the sides of the chest 

 and the flanks purer grey, the feathers edged \\ith chestnut inside 

 and with black outside ; vent and lower tail-coverts white. 



Bill pale horny ; irides dark brown ; naked skin behind eye 

 yellow ; legs yellowish red. 



Length of male about 28; tail 8; wing 12; tarsus 2-7; bill 

 from gape 1*45 ; length of female about 22*5, tail 7, wing 11. 



Distribution. The Himalayas west from Kumaun at about 11,000 

 to 18,000 feet in summer, lower in winter; also in Afghanistan 

 and in various ranges north of the Himalayas to the Altai. 



Habits, $'c. An admirable account is given by Mr. Wilson 

 (' Mountaineer '), who is quoted by both Jerclon and Hume. This 

 bird keeps near to the snow-line, on rocks and bare ground, 

 generally in flocks of from 5 or 6 to 30. It feeds on grass, herbs, 

 small bulbs, and seeds. Its call is a soft whistle. It breeds at 

 high elevations from May to July, and lays usually about 5, some- 

 times more, eggs, which are long ovals, stone-coloured, thinly 

 speckled with brown, and measure about 2-72 by 2-85. 



1379. Tetraogallus tibetanus. The Tibetan Snow-Code. 



Tetraogallus tibetanus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1853, p. 47 ; Stoliczka, 

 J. A. S. B. xxxvii. pt. 2, p. 68 ; Stanford, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, 

 p. 72 ; Hume fy Marsh. Game B. i, p. 275, pi. ; Hume, S. F. vii, 

 p. 430 ; id. Cat. no. 816 his ; Sharpe, Yarkand Miss., Aves, p. 123 j 

 Oyilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 104. 



Hrak-pa, Bhot. ( Sikh i in). 



Coloration. Sides of forehead, ear-coverts, chin, and throat 

 white ; remainder of head and neck dark grey, slightly speckled 

 with whitish, and passing into the paler, more buffy, finely vermi- 

 culated upper back ; lower back, scapulars, tertiaries, and wing- 

 coverts blackish grey, finely vermiculated with buff, and broadly 



