124 A MONOGRAPH OF THE PHEASANTS 



it superlatively necessary for the adornment of her apparel, man has outclassed all other 

 enemies in the life of this pheasant. But just here we are concerned only with the 

 natural foes of the species : creatures which have preyed upon it or from which it has 

 escaped through all the centuries when mankind, far from thinking of personal orna- 

 ment, was only too thankful to be able to preserve his own life from the wild beasts about 

 him. So, ignoring for the moment the very recent arrival of the featherless biped — 

 whose presence is so puny a phenomenon among the grandeur of the Himalayas, and yet 

 whose tiny shiny weapon spells ultimate death and extermination for all these splendid 

 creatures of the wilderness — let us picture the foes which, if they do not silence the 

 downy chick striving to hide among the jungle, or if, indeed, they have not already 

 crushed the life still within the egg, will surely cut short the proud magnificence of the 

 overbold cock in his prime, or, certain as fate itself, take instant advantage of the first 

 carelessness or weakness of old age. 



My first experience with the Impeyan, as I have related, showed the golden eagle 

 as one of these foes, and now that my study of the pheasant is completed, I return to 

 eagles as perhaps the worst foes of this species. The love of the open shown by 

 Impeyans, both old and young, gives these great wolves of the air many a chance, and 

 too often the quivering balance of fate swings to their side. The Impeyans, both cocks 

 and hens, are birds which, like the peafowl, choose to depend on their own eyesight for 

 detection of danger, and when it is once perceived they seek safety by instant action and 

 not by trusting to escape observation. I have never known, either in my own experi- 

 ence, or through that of hunters, of an adult Impeyan squatting for safety. The young 

 will do this until strong on the wing. One glance dictates the course of action : a four- 

 footed assailant sends the bird straight up into a tree ; from a winged foe it bursts like 

 a bomb from the ground and hurtles with incredible speed into the nearest cover. 

 Whenever possible the aid of gravity is invoked, and the bird shoots down into the 

 valley at as sharp an angle as the ground will permit. 



Besides the golden eagle there are two others, Bonelli's and the spotted hawk- 

 eagle, which unquestionably attack and kill Impeyans, while it is certain that the 

 goshawk accounts for many a pheasant, both old and young. 



As regards protective colouring in this species, the female, of course, is under all 

 conditions less conspicuous than her consort. And it is most significant that she is not 

 nearly as ready to take to wing as he, being on the whole much less wary, more willing 

 to take a second glance at danger before flying ; the chances of life have allowed her 

 a wider margin of safety. The theory of counter shading receives a sad blow from the 

 colouring of the cock Impeyan, he being jet black beneath, although living much in the 

 open, and his white dorsal patch would seem for the express benefit of birds of prey, 

 showing them just where to take the most effective grip — the broad back and thighs 

 behind the beating wings. No, most decidedly, we cannot explain the Impeyan's 

 armour by protection, and he seconds us in this opinion ; he takes no chances by 

 skulking or crouching. When the sun was hidden from view I have found the cock 

 bird as inconspicuous at a distance as the hen, but when the first gleam broke forth it 

 seemed like a searchlight falling upon his wondrous metallic plumage ; every movement 

 made of his body a living heliograph more potent than any scent or vocal utterance 

 could possibly be to attract the attention of all, whether friend or foe. In the steamy, 



