NATURALIST IN INDIA. 91 



the body light ash, with a streak of black down the middle of 

 each feather. The tail is pointed, and dark chestnut, verging 

 into black towards the tips, which are slightly edged with 

 dirty white. 



The tail-coverts are long and tapering and ash-coloured. 

 The female is less in size, and her plumage is not so gaudy, 

 but is still beautifully variegated with brown, chestnut, and 

 yellow. The call of the plach is composed of a few cackles, 

 or low chattering sounds, which are emitted when on wing. 



In the early morning, and at dusk, the harsh crow of the 

 cock is heard among the dense boughs of the pine and deodar, 

 where it frequently secretes itself after being flushed. It 

 is generally met with in pairs or solitary. These birds fly 

 with great rapidity, and although partial to the more alpine 

 regions, I have met with individuals on the pine-clad tops of 

 the ranges in the neighbourhood of Dugshai. 



During one of our morning rambles through a wood of 

 stunted oak, I was startled by a covey of light-brown phea- 

 sailts, which, on our approach, rose, uttered a series of plain- 

 tive calls, and dispersed themselves in the dense cover. We 

 searched in vain for them for upwards of an hour. At length 

 I discovered one on a branch within a few yards of me, 

 and Young killed another close by. The specimens proved 

 to be a male and female of the cheer-pheasant (Phasianus 

 walUcMi), one of the most elegant species to be met with in 

 the Himalayas. It is likewise known by the local names of 

 BooincMl and Eerrel. The male measures about 18 inches, 

 exclusive of the tail, which varies from 20 to 26 inches in 

 length. The naked skin around the eye is bright red. The 

 iris is- light brown. The tail is composed of eighteen feathers, 

 which graduate in pairs, and are broadly barred with pale 

 yellow, or dusky brown and olive blotches. 



