﻿14 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  vegetation 
  is 
  refused, 
  whether 
  roots, 
  acorns, 
  seeds, 
  berries, 
  leaves, 
  buds, 
  flowers 
  or 
  

   moss. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  eat 
  less 
  grain 
  than 
  the 
  other 
  pheasants, 
  and 
  is 
  never 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   grain 
  plots 
  of 
  the 
  natives. 
  Indeed 
  it 
  shuns 
  human 
  habitations 
  of 
  all 
  kinds, 
  and, 
  unlike 
  

   the 
  kaleege, 
  soon 
  becomes 
  scarce 
  wherever 
  mankind 
  makes 
  a 
  permanent 
  settlement. 
  

   • 
  In 
  Garhwal 
  I 
  found 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  an 
  uncommon 
  habit 
  for 
  Koklass 
  to 
  go 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  

   open 
  rocky 
  slopes 
  in 
  pairs 
  and 
  scratch 
  deep 
  holes 
  in 
  the 
  turf. 
  This 
  was 
  in 
  impeyan 
  

   country, 
  and 
  in 
  one 
  case 
  an 
  impeyan 
  scratching 
  ground 
  was 
  located 
  within 
  a 
  quarter- 
  

   mile 
  of 
  the 
  isolated 
  grubbings 
  of 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  Koklass. 
  

  

  I 
  think 
  that 
  this 
  pheasant 
  invariably 
  roosts 
  in 
  trees. 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  them 
  well 
  up 
  

   in 
  dense 
  conifers, 
  and 
  they 
  return 
  night 
  after 
  night 
  to 
  their 
  favourite 
  perch. 
  In 
  the 
  

   spring 
  at 
  least 
  they 
  roost 
  in 
  pairs, 
  or 
  the 
  male 
  alone 
  when 
  the 
  female 
  has 
  begun 
  to 
  sit. 
  

   He 
  crows 
  usually 
  before 
  descending 
  to 
  the 
  ground. 
  Out 
  of 
  five 
  birds 
  which 
  crowed 
  

   regularly 
  within 
  hearing 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  my 
  camps, 
  I 
  found 
  that 
  at 
  least 
  four 
  gave 
  utterance 
  

   from 
  their 
  roosting-perch. 
  This 
  was 
  easy 
  to 
  prove 
  by 
  creeping 
  very 
  carefully 
  up 
  

   behind 
  the 
  tree 
  in 
  which, 
  from 
  the 
  sign, 
  I 
  already 
  knew 
  the 
  roost 
  to 
  be 
  located, 
  and 
  

   ultimately 
  flushing 
  the 
  crowing 
  bird. 
  These 
  birds 
  began 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  5 
  a.m. 
  and 
  

   isolated 
  crows 
  sometimes 
  were 
  given 
  up 
  to 
  7 
  o'clock. 
  But 
  by 
  6 
  a.m. 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   croaaking 
  ,was 
  usually 
  over. 
  

  

  Several 
  times 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  laughing 
  thrushes 
  closely 
  associated 
  with 
  Koklass, 
  once 
  

   with 
  a 
  pair 
  and 
  again 
  with 
  four 
  birds 
  apparently 
  of 
  one 
  family. 
  When 
  going 
  down 
  to 
  

   drink 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  the 
  pheasants 
  move 
  slowly 
  but 
  quite 
  steadily, 
  feeding 
  here 
  and 
  

   there 
  in 
  their 
  path, 
  but 
  seldom 
  turning 
  far 
  to 
  one 
  side 
  except 
  to 
  pursue 
  a 
  flying 
  moth 
  

   or 
  other 
  insect. 
  The 
  thrushes 
  work 
  downhill 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  pheasants 
  and 
  share 
  the 
  

   disturbed 
  insects. 
  Now 
  and 
  then 
  they 
  mount 
  a 
  bush 
  and 
  look 
  about, 
  getting 
  a 
  wider 
  

   horizon 
  than 
  the 
  terrestrial 
  pheasants. 
  The 
  efficacy 
  of 
  this 
  association 
  was 
  more 
  than 
  

   once 
  apparent, 
  when 
  the 
  smaller 
  birds 
  discovered 
  me 
  and 
  shouted 
  their 
  discovery 
  at 
  the 
  

   ' 
  top 
  of 
  their 
  lungs, 
  flying 
  off 
  along 
  the 
  hillside. 
  Whether 
  by 
  accident 
  or 
  intention, 
  

   the 
  pheasants 
  both 
  times 
  ran 
  swiftly 
  off 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  direction 
  as 
  the 
  flight 
  of 
  their 
  small 
  

   companions, 
  although 
  they 
  themselves 
  had 
  no 
  knowledge 
  of 
  my 
  hiding-place 
  except 
  

   through 
  the 
  alarm 
  of 
  the 
  laughing 
  thrushes. 
  

  

  The 
  Koklass 
  suffers 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  enemies 
  as 
  the 
  impeyan 
  and 
  kaleege. 
  My 
  only 
  

   definite 
  evidence 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  lot 
  of 
  scattered 
  Koklass 
  feathers, 
  surrounded 
  by 
  the 
  fresh 
  

   tracks 
  of 
  an 
  Indian 
  marten, 
  a 
  killing 
  which 
  had 
  taken 
  place 
  the 
  night 
  before. 
  

  

  The 
  Nepal 
  hawk-eagle 
  and 
  the 
  leopard-cat 
  are 
  probably 
  the 
  most 
  dreaded 
  of 
  the 
  

   animate 
  dangers 
  by 
  which 
  these 
  pheasants 
  are 
  surrounded. 
  

  

  HOME 
  LIFE 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  Koklass 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  from 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  thousand 
  feet 
  up 
  to 
  thirteen 
  

   thousand, 
  the 
  breeding 
  zone 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  restricted. 
  The 
  birds 
  at 
  the 
  lower 
  elevation 
  

   are 
  those 
  which 
  wander 
  downward 
  in 
  mid-winter, 
  while 
  those 
  which 
  are 
  seen 
  at 
  the 
  

   upper 
  limits 
  of 
  forest 
  are 
  only 
  strays, 
  perhaps 
  unmated, 
  which 
  have 
  found 
  food 
  abun- 
  

   dant 
  at 
  such 
  extreme 
  heights. 
  Nests 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  between 
  five 
  and 
  ten 
  thousand 
  

   feet. 
  All 
  which 
  I 
  discovered 
  were 
  about 
  seven 
  to 
  nine 
  thousand. 
  Nearer 
  the 
  lower 
  

   elevation 
  the 
  nesting 
  season 
  begins 
  about 
  the 
  third 
  week 
  in 
  April, 
  and 
  from 
  here 
  

  

  