CHEER PHEASANT 51 



on very thick, tough wooden stems. So strong is this growth that one may walk firmly 

 over its springy foliage, several feet above the actual surface of the rocks beneath. Here 

 I found the most comfortable of seats, and lying outstretched in my weather-worn khaki, 

 I seemed to merge completely with the outcropping reddish-brown rocks on all sides. 

 There was more than one pair of eyes, however, which put my efforts at concealment to 

 scorn. First a white vulture came circling lower and lower to see whether or no I was 

 a suitable victim, and before he had decided that I possessed too much life for any hope 

 of a meal, he was joined by another. Both soon drifted away, after a silent, critical 

 inspection, and my next visitor was a splendid raven, which flapped unconcernedly along 

 the slope before me, wholly unconscious of my presence until he had rounded the angle 

 behind which I was lying. I have seldom seen sudden fear and terror so truly depicted 

 in a bird. Although without mobile mouth or hands to express emotion, yet as the bird 

 veered outward when almost upon me, his feet sprawled out, his feathers ruffled, his 

 wings almost refused to bear him onward, and the raucous squawk ! which rang out 

 came from the very depths of his bird soul. Never have I seen a raven make quicker 

 time downhill. His black form fairly melted from view as he shot away, and for the 

 succeeding five minutes I could hear him giving vent to his feelings far, far below me — 

 filling the valley with brave oaths, now that he was at a safe distance. Some jays joined 

 in for a time, and the uproar or the sight of the excited birds caused the vultures to 

 return, but only for a single circling swoop, then they were off for good. 



I scanned the rocks carefully for some sign of life, and at last was rewarded by 

 finding a big old '' baboon," or, more properly, langur, perched upright, motionless, many 

 yards away. He neither moved nor seemed especially interested in anything, and as it 

 was impossible for a monkey to focus his attention upon any one thing for the many 

 minutes during which I observed him, I made up my mind he was merely taking a 

 sunbath, dozing on the warm stone, before making his way to the deodars a hundred 

 yards away. 



I myself began to feel the soporific effect of the bright beams, and resting my head 

 on the springy surface I listened idly to the buzzing of flies, and watched little iridescent 

 bees searching every blossom near by. A few minutes had passed when my eye caught 

 a slight movement in a clump of half-dead grass and instantly I was all alert, lying with 

 all my being concentrated on that bit of vegetation. At last my eye seemed to pick out 

 a dim form among the grass stems — something speckled, brownish yellow, compact, 

 stealthy. The creature, whatever it was, took one or two steps forward, and I made up 

 my mind that it was some small feline, perhaps the rare marbled cat. As it approached 

 the edge of the grass clump I began to see details, and I had fully made up my mind 

 to see one of these dainty cats step forth, when a tall thin neck and head shot up and 

 there stepped into view a full-plumaged Cheer Pheasant ! Never did I feel more 

 completely nonplussed. Another glance at the grass stems showed me that my cat's 

 head was a bunch of dead leaves, its legs were the swaying stems, its body and coloration 

 were those of the pheasant which had just stepped forth. I had restraint enough to close 

 my eyes to narrow slits and lie quiet, and for fully five minutes the Cheer and I had a 

 staring match, which the bird almost won. 



Out of the corner of my eye I saw another brown form emerge from its hiding- 

 place, and the first bird now took two more steps forward and gave a low chuck I 



