﻿COMMON 
  KOKLASS 
  PHEASANT 
  n 
  

  

  darkens 
  into 
  nipalensis. 
  Westward, 
  true 
  macrolopha 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  Chamba, 
  

   but 
  biddulfiki 
  characters 
  also 
  begin 
  to 
  present 
  themselves 
  strongly 
  in 
  this 
  region. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  Within 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  north-western 
  Himalayas, 
  inhabited 
  by 
  the 
  Common 
  Koklass 
  

   Pheasant, 
  the 
  bird 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  from 
  about 
  four 
  thousand 
  feet 
  elevation 
  up 
  nearly 
  to 
  

   the 
  limit 
  of 
  the 
  forest. 
  This 
  higher 
  altitude 
  is 
  only 
  occasionally 
  attained, 
  and 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  

   greater 
  number 
  of 
  individuals 
  live 
  and 
  breed 
  nearer 
  the 
  lower 
  level. 
  This 
  is, 
  of 
  course, 
  

   especially 
  true 
  in 
  the 
  cold 
  season, 
  when 
  the 
  upper 
  slopes 
  are 
  deserted 
  and 
  the 
  Koklass 
  

   wander 
  downward, 
  while 
  those 
  below 
  go 
  still 
  further 
  down 
  in 
  the 
  valleys. 
  At 
  this 
  time, 
  

   owing 
  both 
  to 
  the 
  increase 
  of 
  numbers 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  young 
  broods 
  and 
  the 
  greater 
  con- 
  

   centration 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  birds 
  into 
  a 
  restricted 
  area, 
  Koklass 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  greater 
  abundance 
  

   than 
  at 
  any 
  other 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  lesser 
  altitudes 
  the 
  birds 
  delight 
  in 
  densely 
  wooded 
  valleys 
  and 
  ravines, 
  but 
  

   seldom 
  are 
  they 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  extreme 
  bottom, 
  unless 
  transiently 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  

   drinking, 
  but 
  usually 
  halfway 
  up 
  the 
  slopes. 
  On 
  these 
  steeps, 
  where 
  the 
  forest 
  of 
  

   deodar, 
  oak 
  and 
  chestnut 
  is 
  mingled 
  with 
  yew 
  and 
  box, 
  with 
  occasional 
  ringal 
  bamboo, 
  

   the 
  Koklass 
  feed 
  and 
  spend 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  day. 
  If 
  the 
  ground 
  is 
  much 
  broken 
  up 
  and 
  

   rocky, 
  so 
  much 
  the 
  better. 
  They 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  fond 
  of 
  bold, 
  outjutting 
  terraces 
  or 
  

   boulders, 
  and 
  will 
  sometimes 
  spend 
  days 
  feeding 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  place. 
  

  

  In 
  May, 
  I 
  found 
  Koklass 
  in 
  pairs 
  among 
  the 
  great 
  forests 
  of 
  deodar, 
  fir 
  and 
  oak 
  

   in 
  native 
  Garhwal. 
  On 
  the 
  steep, 
  upper 
  slopes 
  the 
  trunks 
  of 
  these 
  splendid 
  trees 
  all 
  

   spring 
  diagonally 
  from 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  at 
  once 
  make 
  a 
  sharp 
  curve 
  upwards, 
  standing 
  

   straight 
  as 
  plummets 
  — 
  living 
  guides 
  to 
  the 
  angle 
  of 
  the 
  slope. 
  Beneath 
  them 
  the 
  

   ground 
  is 
  thickly 
  carpeted 
  with 
  generations 
  of 
  needles, 
  while 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  one 
  comes 
  

   upon 
  a 
  park-like 
  vista 
  clear 
  of 
  trees. 
  In 
  these 
  open 
  spaces, 
  green 
  lawn-like 
  grass 
  

   appears, 
  dotted 
  sometimes 
  with 
  large 
  white 
  anemones, 
  with 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  one 
  of 
  deep 
  

   purple. 
  The 
  dominant 
  May 
  blossom 
  of 
  these 
  park-like 
  spaces 
  in 
  Garhwal 
  is 
  a 
  long- 
  

   stemmed 
  strawberry, 
  of 
  which 
  untold 
  myriads 
  cover 
  the 
  turf 
  so 
  thickly 
  that 
  one 
  cannot 
  

   walk 
  without 
  treading 
  many 
  underfoot. 
  Here 
  at 
  ten 
  thousand 
  feet 
  elevation 
  beds 
  of 
  

   tall 
  saxifrage 
  push 
  up 
  through 
  the 
  fallen 
  needles 
  and 
  cones, 
  their 
  filmy 
  heads 
  nodding 
  

   in 
  the 
  dim 
  forest 
  light. 
  Here 
  come 
  the 
  Koklass 
  in 
  pairs 
  at 
  this 
  season, 
  or 
  the 
  cock 
  

   alone, 
  if 
  his 
  mate 
  be 
  sitting, 
  and 
  scratch 
  among 
  the 
  needles 
  for 
  grubs 
  and 
  other 
  insects, 
  

   and 
  here 
  in 
  early 
  morning 
  one 
  hears 
  their 
  loud, 
  hoarse 
  challenging, 
  Ah 
  ! 
  croaak 
  ! 
  

   croaak-croaak 
  ! 
  crok 
  ! 
  the 
  last 
  note 
  much 
  lower 
  and 
  inaudible 
  at 
  a 
  distance. 
  

  

  Titmice, 
  nuthatches 
  and 
  tiny 
  grass-warblers 
  twitter 
  and 
  sing 
  among 
  the 
  needle- 
  

   foliage 
  overhead, 
  yellow 
  grosbeaks 
  follow 
  the 
  drifting 
  fir-seeds 
  to 
  the 
  ground, 
  while 
  in 
  

   all 
  the 
  more 
  open 
  spaces 
  flocks 
  of 
  Indian 
  wood-pigeons 
  glean 
  — 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  rising 
  

   with 
  loud 
  sudden 
  smack 
  of 
  wing 
  and 
  a 
  flashing 
  white 
  of 
  tail-tip. 
  

  

  The 
  flowering 
  vines 
  are 
  beautiful 
  at 
  this 
  season, 
  whorled 
  clusters 
  of 
  chaste 
  snow- 
  

   balls 
  climbing 
  over 
  the 
  delicate 
  maroon-coloured 
  young 
  oak 
  leaves, 
  and 
  five-petalled 
  

   clematis 
  draping 
  shrubs 
  with 
  masses 
  of 
  shining 
  white 
  stars, 
  and 
  mingling 
  its 
  sweetness 
  

   with 
  the 
  rich 
  aroma 
  of 
  the 
  deodars. 
  

  

  As 
  one 
  walks 
  slowly 
  along 
  the 
  steep, 
  slippery 
  slope, 
  a 
  family, 
  or 
  rather 
  mob 
  of 
  

  

  