RED JUNGLE-FOWL, 51 



In Central India, this Jungle-fowl is rare, especially towards the 

 Western portion, at Jubbulpore, Saugor, Mhow, &c., but it is very 

 abundant to the East, and particularly so in the Northern Circars. 

 It is not uncommon, too, in the Rajmahal hills, extending to the 

 south bank of the Ganges. Towards the North-west it occurs in 

 the range of hills South of Cashmere, and to the West of Jummoo, 

 but is rare there, though common in the lower ranges near Simla, 

 and thence along the Himalayas to Assam, Sylhet, Chittagong 

 and Burmah. Malayan specimens are decidedly darker in tint, 

 and have the ear-coverts rufous, and perhaps may be considered 

 to be a distinct race or species, which, in that case, would bear 

 Temminck's name, Bankiva. This race appears to extend over 

 many of the Malayan islands, as far as Timor, at all events; and 

 Mr. Blyth drew my attention to the statement of Jungle-fowl 

 occurring in the Bonin islands. Certain pale-colored birds from 

 the lower Himalayan ranges were noticed in the Ann. and Mag. 

 Nat. Hist., Vol. XX., p. 389. 



The Jungle-fowl is very partial to Bamboo jungle, but is found 

 as well in lofty forests and in dense thickets. When cultivated 

 land is near their haunts, they may, during the harvest season 

 and after the grain is cut, be seen morning and evening in the 

 fields, often in straggling parties of ten to twenty. Their crow 

 which they give utterance to morning and evening, all the year 

 round, but especially at the pairing season, is quite like that of a 

 Bantam cock, but shorter, and never prolonged as in our domestic 

 cocks. The hen breeds from January to July, according to the 

 locality, laying eight to twelve eggs, of a creamy white color, 

 often under a bamboo clump, or in some dense thicket, occasionally 

 scraping a few leaves or dried grass together to form a nest. Sooner 

 or later after the breeding season is over, the neck hackles of the 

 male sometimes fall off, and are replaced by short blackish grey 

 feathers. 



Where detached clumps of Jungle or small hills occur in a 

 jungly district where these Fowl abound, very pretty shooting can 

 be had by driving them by means of dogs and beaters ; and in 

 travelling through a forest country, many will always be found near 

 the roads, to which they resort to pick up grain from the droppings 



