THE WILD MAN OF THE WOODS. 127 



the terpsichorean art has come under my notice. 

 The women do all the dancing, the men taking 

 only a subordinate part. They would not dance 

 before my bungalow. I had to go to the forest 

 to witness the dancing. A small clearing of under- 

 growth had been made in the jungle near my 

 bungalow, and on one side of this clearing the 

 spectators were asked to station themselves. The 

 first item on the programme was the " Peacock 

 Dance." The clearing was quite bare ; the Juangs 

 were nowhere to be seen. Suddenly the harsh 

 scream of the peacock was heard some distance off. 

 The imitation was perfect. Now there was a rust- 

 ling in the bushes, and three Juang maidens, squat- 

 ting low on their hams, with arms bent close to their 

 sides to represent wings and necks craned forward 

 as if listening, showed themselves on the edge of 

 the clearing. After peering about in the quaintest 

 manner for a few seconds, they all three hopped 

 forward (still on their hams) and began chasing 

 one another about, heads almost touching the 

 ground, and emitting the peculiar chirp of pea-hens 

 when performing their matutinal frolic. Now one 

 would throw up the leaves and earth with her 

 feet, and pretend to pick up food. If another 

 hen attempted to eat in the same place, there 

 was a rush at the poacher, and a few sal leaves 

 were torn from her tail amid shrill screams as 

 she took to flight. Now enters the cock bird, 

 distinguished from the hens by its greater abundance 

 of sal leaves for a tail and a tuft of leaves on the 

 head. With one hand spreading the tail high and 



