﻿CHEER 
  PHEASANT 
  

  

  Catreus 
  wallichii 
  (Hardwicke) 
  

  

  Names. 
  — 
  Generic 
  : 
  Catreus, 
  Ka-rpev^, 
  a 
  peacock-like 
  bird, 
  the 
  name 
  used 
  by 
  Strabo. 
  Specific 
  : 
  wallichii, 
  for 
  

   Dr. 
  Nathaniel 
  Wallich, 
  a 
  Danish 
  botanist, 
  one 
  time 
  Superintendent 
  of 
  the 
  Calcutta 
  Botanical 
  Gardens. 
  English 
  : 
  

   Cheer, 
  Wallich's 
  or 
  Golden 
  Pheasant. 
  German: 
  Wallich's 
  Fasan. 
  Native: 
  Kahir, 
  Chihir 
  (Nepal) 
  ; 
  Cher 
  or 
  Chir 
  

   (Kumaon 
  and 
  Garhwal) 
  ; 
  Bunchil, 
  Herril 
  (Hills 
  north 
  of 
  Mussooree) 
  ; 
  Chummun, 
  Chaman 
  (Chamba). 
  

  

  BRIEF 
  DESCRIPTION. 
  — 
  Male 
  : 
  Top 
  of 
  head, 
  including 
  long, 
  hairy 
  crest, 
  dark 
  brown 
  ; 
  chin, 
  throat 
  and 
  breast 
  

   dingy 
  white, 
  back 
  and 
  under 
  parts 
  pale 
  buff; 
  lower 
  back, 
  rump 
  and 
  flanks, 
  pale 
  gold 
  or 
  rust 
  colour, 
  all 
  the 
  

   plumage 
  posterior 
  to 
  the 
  neck 
  and 
  breast 
  cross-barred 
  with 
  dark 
  brown 
  or 
  black 
  ; 
  large 
  wing 
  and 
  central 
  tail- 
  

   feathers 
  irregularly 
  barred 
  and 
  mottled 
  with 
  dark 
  brown 
  and 
  creamy 
  white 
  ; 
  outer 
  tail-feathers 
  with 
  distinct 
  barring 
  

   of 
  buff, 
  and 
  black, 
  the 
  latter 
  often 
  with 
  chestnut 
  centres. 
  Female 
  : 
  Quite 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  male, 
  but 
  with 
  shorter 
  

   crest 
  and 
  tail. 
  The 
  feathers 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  are 
  edged 
  with 
  buff, 
  the 
  upper 
  back 
  is 
  pale 
  chestnut 
  barred 
  with 
  black, 
  

   and 
  the 
  posterior 
  upper 
  plumage 
  dingy 
  brown, 
  mixed 
  with 
  black 
  and 
  buff; 
  neck 
  and 
  breast 
  black, 
  buff-edged, 
  

   the 
  posterior 
  ventral 
  plumage 
  rufous 
  chestnut, 
  also 
  edged 
  with 
  buff, 
  and 
  black-mottled 
  ; 
  the 
  primaries 
  are 
  barred, 
  

   not 
  mottled, 
  and 
  the 
  tail-feathers 
  are 
  in 
  general 
  reddish 
  brown, 
  not 
  buffy 
  white, 
  with 
  wide 
  mottled 
  bars. 
  

  

  Habitat. 
  — 
  West-central 
  Himalayas, 
  in 
  Kumaon, 
  Garhwal, 
  and 
  western 
  Nepal. 
  

  

  THE 
  BIRD 
  IN 
  ITS 
  HAUNTS 
  

  

  Far 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  hinterland 
  of 
  native 
  Garhwal 
  one 
  finds 
  a 
  land 
  of 
  contrasts. 
  

   Leaving 
  camp 
  in 
  the 
  deep 
  valley 
  and 
  working 
  up 
  through 
  the 
  soft-needled 
  forest 
  of 
  

   deodars 
  and 
  spruces, 
  I 
  come 
  suddenly, 
  without 
  warning 
  or 
  forest-thinning 
  transition, 
  

   upon 
  bare 
  open 
  ground. 
  I 
  pass 
  over 
  a 
  low 
  ridge, 
  and 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  dense, 
  shady, 
  

   wooded 
  slopes, 
  I 
  find 
  myself 
  upon 
  a 
  rocky 
  ledge 
  dropping 
  down 
  in 
  jagged 
  terraces, 
  

   and, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  rising 
  steeply 
  to 
  where 
  the 
  stern 
  profile 
  of 
  the 
  summit 
  is 
  

   silhouetted 
  against 
  the 
  fleecy 
  clouds. 
  Here 
  the 
  slope 
  is 
  clothed 
  with 
  thick, 
  dwarfed 
  

   rhododendrons, 
  there 
  with 
  only 
  a 
  low 
  dense 
  mat 
  of 
  vegetation, 
  or 
  again 
  with 
  the 
  

   precipitous 
  cliffs 
  too 
  steep 
  to 
  give 
  foothold 
  to 
  aught 
  but 
  the 
  red, 
  scaling 
  boulders 
  

   themselves. 
  As 
  I 
  push 
  forward, 
  clinging 
  to 
  the 
  shrubs 
  and 
  rocks 
  to 
  aid 
  my 
  unsteady, 
  

   shifting 
  footing, 
  I 
  find 
  the 
  earth-mat 
  of 
  vegetation 
  of 
  great 
  interest 
  and 
  beauty. 
  

   For 
  yards 
  I 
  trample 
  upon 
  myriads 
  of 
  tiny, 
  pale-blue 
  forget-me-nots. 
  On 
  the 
  shady 
  

   sides 
  of 
  the 
  rocks 
  begonias 
  carpet 
  the 
  bare 
  surface, 
  their 
  dainty 
  pink 
  blossoms 
  

   shading 
  to 
  deep 
  red 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  petals, 
  and 
  waving 
  with 
  every 
  breath 
  on 
  

   long, 
  curved 
  stalks. 
  Flat 
  against 
  the 
  rock 
  lie 
  the 
  large, 
  round, 
  pubescent 
  leaves, 
  

   showing 
  rich 
  maroon 
  below 
  where 
  the 
  edges 
  are 
  bent 
  over. 
  Flowers, 
  a 
  dozen 
  

   unnamed 
  ones, 
  are 
  everywhere, 
  striving 
  to 
  carpet 
  the 
  bare 
  crags 
  ; 
  white 
  edelweiss 
  

   shining 
  like 
  stars 
  and 
  visible 
  from 
  afar 
  off. 
  

  

  A 
  sheltered 
  abrupt 
  angle 
  offers 
  a 
  comfortable 
  point 
  of 
  vantage 
  for 
  observation 
  

   above 
  and 
  below, 
  and 
  here 
  I 
  find 
  the 
  most 
  remarkable 
  plant 
  of 
  all: 
  a 
  dwarf, 
  tree-like 
  

   growth, 
  almost 
  prostrate, 
  growing 
  downward 
  over 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  rocks. 
  It 
  bears 
  myriads 
  

   of 
  the 
  tiniest 
  of 
  white 
  flowers 
  and 
  small, 
  shiny, 
  oval 
  leaves, 
  both 
  growing 
  almost 
  sessile 
  

  

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