23 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL mST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIT. 



from which the Hill Tribes had once taken limestone. Bears had 

 superseded the Khasias as tenants of these places, and afforded 

 me man_y a good afternoon's and evening's sport, and, as a 

 rule, my way home took me under this pine after twilight had 

 fallen, and night after night, one season after another, I fonud 

 the branches occupied by a magnificent Peacock and his harem 

 of Pea-hens. 



What, however, struck me more than amrthing else about this 

 tree and its occupants was the fact that once darkness had fallen 

 the birds never took the slightest notice of us, although we passed 

 right under their roosting-place. If the twilight was not yet far 

 advanced, we were alwaj'^s spotted before we got within shot, and 

 the birds %^'ere off" at once, but if we hid in the grass or bushes 

 adjacent, they would shortlj- return. First we would hear a low 

 chuckle in the grass b}^ the tree, and a scany of legs and half-open 

 wings through it, and then an old hen would fly up to her perch, 

 followed by the rest of the harem, and finally their lord and master 

 would also take his place. A few minutes" pushing and shoving, 

 a little craning of necks in the attempt to see whether there was 

 any cause for alarm below, and they quickly settled down to sleep. 

 This is rather contrary to Col. Tickell's experience, for he 

 says :— 



" The cook bird invariabh' leads the wav, rising suddenly from the 

 brushwood near the roosting tree, with a loud ' kok-kok-kok-kok ' and 

 being presentlj^ followed by his harem — four or five hens. If marked to 

 their roosting-place, and if it be a clear moonlight night, they maj^ be 

 easily shot, for, not knowing where to go, they will frequentlj'- remain 

 on the tree until fired at two or three times. When forced to quit, 

 they fly to the ground and pass the rest of the night as well as 

 they can."' 



Perhaps when the birds go to roost the cock maj- generally lead 

 the way, but once fche}:^ have been disturbed, he is always the last to 

 leave cover, and does not do so until the hens have made sure the 

 way is safe. As regards their remainiuo- on the ground all nio-ht, 

 this is quite unusual in the places I have seen them where, as 

 already stated, they take but little time in getting aloft once 

 more. 



Peafowl nearly always call when disturbed by any of the bigger 

 forest animals, but whilst they merely acknowledge the presence of 

 elephant, bear or deer with a few loud calls, the cat tribe they will 

 continue to abuse and shout at as long as they are within sight, and 

 will sometime follow them from one tree to another for a short 

 distance. I have seen and heard them do this when annoyed at 

 the presence of a jungle cat, and on one occasion two hens followed 

 up their hated foe for a hiindred yards, and would possibly have 

 continued their pursuit had they not suddenty caught sight of an 

 even more bitter enemj^ in my own person. 



