HIMALAYAN IMPEYAN PHEASANT 135 



frequent openings in which are suspended nooses, and the more primitive but often 

 even more effective plan of simply staking out scores of yak-hair nooses over the 

 digging grounds of these birds. 



In regard to the enemies of the Impeyan in the western part of its range we 

 read that *' last, but by no means least, comes the curse of the Himalayas, viz. the 

 ' pahary ' with his snares. One frequently finds four or five consecutive spurs lined 

 with nooses from top to bottom, chiefly set for musk deer, but birds by no means 

 come amiss and keep the men in food till a few unfortunate musk deer also fall 

 victims. I have taken the greatest delight, on several occasions, in cutting every 

 noose, and have gone up and down the spurs from end to end especially for the 

 purpose, thereby demolishing in one day what has taken two to four men a couple of 

 weeks' hard work to put up." This righteous fervour of anger against the native hunter 

 is somewhat discounted by the many inexcusably large bags taken by thoughtless, 

 selfish sportsmen, but the majority of British sportsmen in India are fortunately 

 deserving of their title, and, no matter what the temptation, take thought both of the 

 status of the wild creatures and of the next sportsman to come that way, and do 

 not limit their bag by the capacity of their cartridge pouches. 



I never heard a native accuse the Impeyan of taking his wheat or barley, and I 

 believe the statement to be true that even when they were more abundant, their toll 

 from native fields in winter consisted almost altogether of insect food and not grain. 



CAPTIVITY 



The history of the Impeyan Pheasant in captivity is a close* parallel to that of 

 the tragopans. The praises of this species, on account of its incomparable metallic 

 plumage, and the glories of the "Golden Bird," of 'Me Lophophore resplendissant," 

 were sung throughout Europe. " . . . Ce magnifique oiseau que les Indiens, dans leur 

 admiration, ont surnomme roiseau dor, qu'ils auraient appeld plus justement I'oiseau 

 d emeraude et de saphir. En effet, I'eclat de ces pierreries brille sur le plumage du 

 male, m^ld a des tons pourpres lustres, violets pourpres, bleus metalliques, noir cor- 

 beau, et font de cet admirable gallinace une veritable merveille, ornde de toutes les 

 splendeurs que la main de Dieu a prodiguees aux oiseaux de 1' Himalaya. Sans nul 

 doute, il serait le roi des airs, si la royaute appartenait a I'dclat, a la magnificence 

 du plumage." Then, when the first eggs were laid and chicks hatched, seemingly 

 strong and vigorous, prophets arose, and one reads how the copses of England, the 

 walder of Germany and les forets of France were to be made the home of this 

 splendid Pheasant of Pheasants. To-day, after years and decades of the most pains- 

 taking efforts, we must admit almost complete failure as regards any actual acclima- 

 tization. If given suitably roomy and secluded quarters a pair of Impeyans may 

 breed, and even rear their own young to maturity, but should any little factor go 

 wrong, should the temperature, humidity, food, vary ever so slightly from the re- 

 quirements of the young birds, they die at once. And after all these years of 

 experimenting we have not succeeded in finding out what the necessary factors are, 

 or at least they are so loosely defined that the successful rearing of these birds is 

 hazardous in the extreme. No more success has attended the efforts of enthusiastic 



