CHA PERE Sel x: 
PHEASANTS ADAPTED FOR THE AVIARY (CONTINUED). 
THE IMPEYAN PHEASANT (LOPHOPHORUS 
Aa IMPEYANUS). 
HE Monaul, or Impeyan Pheasant, is one of the most gorgeous 
of the whole tribe, the wonderful metallic brilliance of its 
plumage, “gleaming in purple and gold,” never fails to attract 
the attention of the spectator. In the Zoological Gardens it 
has bred frequently, but a native of the Himalas, seldom ‘descending 
far below the snow line, and suffering from the heat of summer, 
is not likely to succeed in a situation where the soil is pure London 
clay. During the life of my friend, Mr. J. J. Stone, I saw at large on 
the Welsh Hills Impeyan pheasants as tame as the other poultry, and 
T have little doubt but that in suitable localities this magnificent bird 
(\ might be introduced to advantage. 
Should it be thought desirable to try the experiment in any appropriate 
locality, this can only be done by a consideration of their natural habits, and I have 
therefore great pleasure in quoting the following from the late Col. Tickell, who 
was well acquainted with the birds in their natural haunts :— 
“The monaul ranges high in the mountains where it is found, keeping near 
the line of snow; and although met with in the ridges next the plains, becomes 
much more numerous farther in the mountains. It frequents the entire range of 
the Himdla, from Afghanistan to Sikhim. Its range in elevation varies according to 
season, but in the severest winter it does not appear to descend helow 6000 feet 
above sea level. I have seen numbers in Nepal in winter, brought with other kinds 
of pheasants by the Botias for sale in the plains of India, where they soon perish 
when the hot weather begins. ’ 
«They are forest birds, and difficult to be found in summer when vegetation 
is profuse, unless by ascending to the highest limits of the forest, when shots may 
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