230 cass£ll's book of birds. 



the wing measures from eleven to eleven and a half inches, and the tail eight inches and a quarter. 

 The female is white upon the throat, the rest of her plumage being pale yellowish brown, spotted, 

 striped, and marked with dark brown. The primary quills are blackish, the secondaries and tail- 

 feathers striped black and brownish yellow. The size of the female is inferior to that of her mate. 



We have from the pen of "Mountaineer" a full account of the life of the Monaul, but we cannot 

 help regretting that such an excellent observer should look upon this magnificent species with the eye 

 of a sportsman rather than with that of a naturalist. " The Monaul is found on almost every hill of any 

 elevation, from the first great ridge of the Himalayas above the plains to the limits of the wooded 

 district, and in the interior it is the most numerous of the game-birds. When the hills near Mussooree 

 were first visited by Europeans it was found to be common there, and a few may be still seen on the 

 same ridge eastwards from Landour. In summer, when the rank vegetation which springs up in the 

 forest renders it impossible to see many yards around, few are to be met with, except near the 

 summits of the great ridges jutting from the snow; where in the morning and evening, when they come 

 out to feed, they may be seen in the green glades of the forest and on the green slopes above. At 

 that time no one would imagine they are half so numerous as they really are, but as the cold season 

 approaches, and the rank grass and herbage decay, they begin to collect together. The wood seems 

 full of them, and in some places hundreds may be put up in a day's work. In summer the greater number 

 of males and some of the females ascend to near the limits of the forests, where the hills attain a great 

 elevation, and may often be observed on the grassy slopes a considerable distance above. In autumn 

 they resort to those parts of the forest where the ground is thickly-covered with decayed leaves, and 

 descend lower and lower as winter sets in, and the ground becomes frozen or covered with snow. 

 If the season be severe, and the ground covered to a great depth, they collect in the woods which 

 face south or east, where the snow soon fflelts in the more exposed parts, or descend much lower 

 down the hill, where it is not so deep, and thaws sufficiently to allow them to lay bare the earth 

 under the bushes and sheltered places. Many, particularly females and young birds, resort to the 

 neighbourhood of the villages situated up in the woods, and may often be seen in numbers in 

 the fields. Still, in the severest weather, when fall after fall has covered the ground to a great depth, 

 many remain in the higher forests during the whole winter ; these ate almost all males, and probably 

 old birds. In spring all in the lower parts gradually ascend as the snow disappears. 



" In the autumnal and winter months numbers are generally collected together in the same 

 quarter of the forest, though often so widely scattered that each bird appears to be alone. Sometimes 

 you may walk for a mile through the wood without seeing one, and Suddenly come to som.e part 

 where, within the compass of a few hundred yards, upwards of a scofe will get up in succession : 

 at another time, or in another forest, they will be found dispersed Over every part — one getting 

 up here, another there, two or three farther on, and so on for miles. The females keep more together 

 than the males ; they also descend lower down the hills, and earlier, and more generally leave the 

 sheltered woods for exposed parts, or the vicinity of the villages, on the approach of winter. Both 

 sexes are found separately in considerable numbers. On the lovver part or exposed side of the hill, 

 scores of females and young birds may be met without a single old male ; while higher up, or on the 

 sheltered side, none but males are to be found. In summer they are more separated, but do not 

 keep strictly in pairs, several being often found together. It may be questioned whether they do pair 

 or not in places where they are at all numerous ; if they do, it would appear that the union is 

 dissolved as soon as the female begins to brood, for the male seems to pay no attention whatever 

 to her whilst sitting, or to the yoimg when hatched, and is seldom found with them. 



" From April to the commencement of the cold season, the Monaul is rather wild and shy, but this 

 soon gives way to the all-taming influence of winter's frosts and snows ; and from October it becomes 



