WHITE-CRESTED KALIJ-niEASANT. 45 



12. Gallophasis albocristatus, Vigors. 



Phasianus, apud Vigors — Gould, Cent. Him. Birds, pi. 66, 67 

 — P. Hamiltonii, Gray — Hardwicke, 111. Ind. Zool. 1 pi. 

 41 — Blyth, Cat. 1470 — Kalij — Murgh-kalij, and Kukera, II. at 

 Simla and the N. W. Himalayas. 



The White-crested Kalij-pheasant. 



Descr, — Male, head, neck, wings and tail shining bluish black ; 

 a long crest of slender decomposed feathers, white ; lower back 

 and rump dull white, slightly barred with black, the feathers being 

 black at the base, broadly tipped with white ; throat and breast 

 greyish white, the feathers lanceolate ; belly and vent dark grey. 



Bill dark horny ; naked orbits bright red ; irides brown ; legs 

 and feet dark horny. Length 26 inches ; extent 32 ; wing 10 ; 

 tail 12 to 15. Weight about 3 lbs. 



The female is less than the male, of a light brown colour 

 throughout, each feather being tipped with pale whity brown ; the 

 chin whitish ; lateral tail-feathers dark. The young male is said 

 to get his proper plumage the first year. 



The white-crested Kalij is found in the North-west Himalayas, 

 as far as Nepal, where it meets with the next species, and 

 hybrids between the two are not uncommon ; and these have 

 caused some confusion of species, P. leucomelanos, of Latham 

 being considered as one of these hybrids, and P. hamiltonii another. 



" The well known Kalleege," says Mountaineer, " is most abun- 

 dant in the lower regions ; it is common in the Dhoon at the 

 foot of the hills, in all the lower vallies, and every where to an 

 elevation of about 8,000 feet ; from this it becomes more rare, 

 though a few are found still higher. It appears to be more unsus- 

 picious of man than the rest of our Pheasants ; it comes much nearer 

 his habitations, and from being so often found near the villages and 

 road-sides, is considered by all as the most common, though in their 

 respective regions the Moonall is more numerous. In the lower 

 regions, it is found in every description of forest from the foot to 

 the summit of the hills, but it is most partial to low coppice and 

 jungle, and wooded ravines or hollows. In the interior it frequents 



