PLATE XLIX 



CHEER PHEASANT 



Catretts wallichii (Hardwicke) 



Leaving my camp in a deep Garhwal valley, and working up through the soft-needled forest of 

 deodars and spruces, I come suddenly, without warning, upon bare open ground. I pass over a low 

 ridge, and instead of the shaded, densely- wooded slopes, I find rocky, grass-covered ledges dropping 

 down in jagged teraces, and, on the other hand, rising steeply to where the stern profile of the summit 

 is silhouetted against the fleecy clouds. 



This is the home of the Cheer, Although protectively coloured when crouched in the half-dead 

 grass, they are conspicuous when in full flight. The golden and green sheen of the back and rump at 

 the time of their headlong rush sometimes catches the glint of the sun, and in sudden turns the tail 

 flares out into a streaming cross-barred train, forming a marvellous spot of pattern and colour. 



