r 



THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA. 395 



well-marked of course as an old bird. The bill of the female 

 is dull reddish at tip, and chestnut at base ; the nude orbital 

 skin in the male rich blood-red, and the irides red-brown, the 

 bill being dusky or black at the tip. I see in Hodgson's 

 drawing of this bird that the bill of the female is rightly given 

 red. I could not notice exactly how the tails were held, 

 except that they were certainly raised whilst running. The 

 food of those examined consisted entirely of vegetable matter. 

 The skins of this beautiful bird previously bronght into 

 Darjeeling have all been procured at considerable distance in 

 the interior of Sikhim ; and I Avas rather surprised to find 

 them here in such a damp climate and so near the plains ; but 

 as the Singhaleela spur is higher than any other range 

 running South, I fancy they have gradually spread along the 

 ridge as far as it continued suitably elevated." 

 Blanford describes its cry as — 



" a peculiar long cvj, something like the squeal of a kite. 



" The only other note I have heard was a short monosyllabic 



" note of alarm ; I have heard a bird utter this when sitting on 



" a branch within twenty yards of me." 



They appear to be almost entirely vegetarian in their diet, 



Hodgson alone of those who have recorded anything on tliis point 



crediting them with eating insects. Blanford records that — 



" in their crops I found small fruits, leaves, seeds, and in 

 " one instance what appeared to me to be the spore-cases of a 

 " moss. There were no leaves or berries of juniper." 

 Although Hooker found it unsatisfactory eating, Blanford con- 

 sidered it excellent, and other sportsmen and observers who have 

 eaten them have told me that they found them tender and sweet, 

 though somewhat dry. 



Very few specimens of this bird have been imported into Europe 

 in a captured state, but one such pair was purchased by the Zoolo- 

 gical Society a few years ago. Finn, referring to this pair, says, 

 that they struck him as very partridge-like in appearance ; he also 

 records that Mr. W. Frost, the importer, told him that they were 

 spiteful with other birds, and backed each other up, the hen waiting 

 on an elevated spot till the cock ran a bird under her, when she 

 would spring on it and do her share of the mauling. 



Ithagenes kuseri, Beebe. 



. The Yunnan Blood Pheasant. 



Ithaqinis Jmseri.— Beebe, Zoologica, I., No. 10, p. 190 (1912); 

 N. W.Yunnan; F. M. Bailey, Journal B. N. H. S., XXIV., p. 76. 



ItUacjenes huseri. — Stuart Baker, Bull. B. 0. C, XXXV., p. 18 

 (1914); Id, ibid (1915), p. 122. 



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