FORESTS AND RANGES OF THE MIDDLE ZONE 8i 



8,000 feet, and very high up near the snow, in birch and 

 other forests. It is a slender, graceful little animal, 

 smaller than a roe deer, and has the upper canine teeth 

 very much lengthened, hke the tusks of a walrus. They 

 are quite 3 inches long, and stick out below the animal's 

 chin. It is not quite clear for what purpose these tusks 

 are intended. They would, however, inflict a severe 

 wound if the animal struck down with them. The male 

 has a curious bag or pod under his body, which contains 

 quite a quantity of stuff like brown seeds. The musk 

 pods are worth their weight in silver, and are an article 

 of commerce among the hill-men, who hunt them steadily, 

 so that the animal is getting very scarce. The smell from 

 a fresh musk pod is nearly as strong as a skunk, but not 

 quite so noxious. The monal pheasants were plentiful 

 on Chipula Hill, and we took our shot-guns in the after- 

 noon to secure some specimens. They take a lot of big 

 shot to knock them over, and are very hard to get near. 

 In the daytime they haunt the ledges of rocky precipices, 

 and when disturbed shoot off and down into the vaUey 

 below like a flash of blue lightning, the brilliant peacock- 

 like neck, which contrasts with the rufous breast and the 

 white patch on the back, catching the eye. Their plain- 

 tive shrill cry, between a whistle and a screech, gives 

 warning to others of danger near ; and if by chance you 

 drop one with a rapid shot, his heavy, plump body, nearly 

 as big as that of a goose, generally falls half a mile away 

 down in the dense jungle below the khud. In the even- 

 ings and mornings you can stalk him as he feeds under 

 the great pine-trees, rooting for seeds and insects in the 

 flower-spangled grass. He will, however, seldom let you 

 get within shot, and runs a long way before taking flight ; 

 but he can fly very rapidly, with strong strokes of his 

 short wmgs, fanning out his broad tail like a capercailzie as 



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