148 A MONOGRAPH OF THE PHEASANTS 



plants and elephant-ears could hardly support a dangerous foe, while the absence of 

 low branches left merely the smooth or mossy trunks which gave foothold only to 

 squirrels and woodpeckers. It was upon the surrounding jungle that they concen- 

 trated their sight and hearing, and, as in my posts of observation in the densely 

 foliaged deodars and firs in the Himalayas, here, too, I was wholly safe from detection. 

 When the deer and the pheasants reached the stream they all drank deeply, selecting 

 clear pools well away from the disturbing footprints of the banteng. Never did all 

 seven drink at once; always one or two — a chevrotain with nostrils outstretched 

 and quivering, or a pheasant with head raised on high, each with a pair of bright, 

 unwinking eyes. For twenty seconds at a time the male White-tail would hold such 

 a position unmoving — a position of which it has been stated that " The picture in 

 the 'Birds of Asia' gives a wrong idea of the carriage of the bird, and I very much 

 doubt whether it ever sits up in the way there depicted," as if any bird whose habit 

 it was to skulk could not as well raise itself on tiptoe to gain a wider view-point. 

 During the many minutes which I was fortunate enough to keep these birds in 

 sight, I was impressed most profoundly with the constant, never-failing alertness 

 and sense of danger. I realized as never before how, in this jungle, which in com- 

 parison with South American forests seemed almost barren of organisms, life could 

 be lived safely by these weaker creatures only by an unceasing watchfulness. Even 

 when the birds began scratching, they were always on the lookout, and only when 

 for a fraction of a second they snatched a morsel did they cease their watch. 



I was interested to see them scratch not only in the gravel and mud, apparently 

 uncovering tiny worms, but also in the shallows, making the water fly in all directions, 

 and then snatching eagerly at something edible which swam in the water. Some- 

 times the old female would take her stand in an inch or two of water, and her two 

 nearly-grown young would reap the benefit of her exertions, all three pursuing the 

 minute worms and crayfish and aquatic insects ; for I later found that all three groups 

 contributed to the diet of these pheasants. The musk-deer seemed to enjoy standing 

 with all four feet in the water, and they busied themselves not so much with brows- 

 ing, as with their toilet. , With their tiny hind hoofs they scratched and rubbed all 

 parts of their head and shoulders. Perhaps leeches were tormenting them or flies 

 had bitten them, as they did ourselves morning and evening upon the river banks. 

 There was a very obvious association and an apparent mutual understanding between 

 mammal and bird which brought vividly to mind the similar relation between the 

 musk-deer and kaleege pheasants of the Himalayas. The pheasants walked in and 

 out among the deer unheeded, and the deer, hardly a yard distant, sniffed unconcerned 

 at the muddy water sullied by the vigorous scratching of the birds. The bonds 

 between the various members of the White-tail family were very loose, indifference 

 expressing the attitude, especially on the part of the parents, although all kept more 

 or less closely together. But there was no attempt at feeding, or of any motion that 

 I could detect, except that of tolerance as of one bird to another in a flock. The 

 male invariably took the lead, and usually passed ahead of the others from one pool 

 or spot of gravel to another. The deer, although they appeared first in the open 

 part of the gorge, seemed rather to follow than to lead, and more than once passed 

 on, following and keeping close to the vicinity of the pheasants. It was remarkable 



