Jottings on common Indian Birds.



257



running at first and then skimming into the scrub. The Cheer

Pheasant ( Gatreus wallichi) is found chiefly in the high mountains

(6,000 to 7,000 ft., Blanford) so this was rather low for them. A

little further on the same day a Cheer Pheasant cock ran along the

road by the cart in which I was seated and made several attempts

to fly up the wall and into the scrub before it succeeded in doing so.

I do not recollect seeing any other kind of Pheasants wild ; but the

Maharaja of Nepal has in his aviaries at Khatmandu a fine lot of

Monal and Kalij Pheasants and Tragopans. The Kalij are of the

black-crested Nepal species (Gennceus leucomelanus). Though one

does not often see the Chukor (Caccabis chukor), excepting in cages,

one often hears them calling in the evening. When shooting in the

early morning in the Nepal Terai my elephant put up not infrequently

a Common Francolin which would fly a little way and then drop

into the bush, but however carefully I marked down the bird I never

got it to rise a second time. It was just the right sort of country for

them—short scrub, grasses and small streams ; we never saw them

in the tree jungle.


The Moorhen ( Gallinula chloropus ) and the Coot ( Fulica atra)

were both seen. I saw neither the Common Crane ( Grus grus )

nor the Demoiselle ( Anthropoides Virgo ) on the ground, but an

immense number of the latter were seen one day circling round in

the air, and a V seen very high up in the air near Chakrata was

probably composed of the former. I saw a good deal of the Sarus

Crane ( Grus antigone ), and it was always a joy to me.


I remember particularly a certain evening in January when

lying up for Geese. It was in Rajputana, and a fuller account of the

jhil will be given when we come to the Geese. The Cranes kept

coming in in pairs. They came from all directions; some from

behind one where the sky was relatively dull, and against it they

looked white, some out of the coloured sky in front, when they

looked quite dark. Some came in quite low, those that came in

from greater distances were high up, but circled round getting lower

and lower until they set their wings and skimmed down on a

gradual slant, and throwing forward their long legs lit in the

shallow water or upon the mud. They were quite unsuspicious ; I

was hidden, but very imperfectly hidden, behind two barley sheaves



