﻿CHEER 
  PHEASANT 
  55 
  

  

  flushed 
  above, 
  it 
  was 
  coming 
  right 
  for 
  me. 
  I 
  let 
  off 
  the 
  gun 
  somehow, 
  and 
  almost 
  before 
  

   it 
  seemed 
  well 
  off, 
  my 
  gun 
  was 
  dashed 
  aside 
  and 
  I 
  got 
  a 
  blow 
  in 
  the 
  face 
  that 
  made 
  my 
  

   nose 
  bleed, 
  and 
  knocked 
  me 
  over 
  the 
  precipice, 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  which 
  my 
  gun 
  fell, 
  as 
  

   should 
  I 
  also, 
  had 
  not 
  the 
  two 
  men 
  squatting 
  at 
  my 
  feet 
  seized 
  my 
  legs. 
  Yet 
  this 
  bird, 
  

   as 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  proved, 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  at 
  least 
  thirty 
  yards 
  from 
  me 
  when 
  the 
  

   shot 
  struck 
  it, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  stone 
  dead 
  when 
  I 
  had 
  sufficiently 
  recovered 
  myself 
  to 
  think 
  

   of 
  it." 
  

  

  "This 
  species," 
  says 
  Wilson, 
  "is 
  an 
  inhabitant 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  and 
  intermediate 
  

   ranges, 
  seldom 
  found 
  at 
  very 
  high 
  elevations, 
  and 
  never 
  approaching 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  forest. 
  

  

  "Though 
  far 
  from 
  being 
  rare, 
  fewer 
  perhaps 
  are 
  met 
  with 
  than 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  kind 
  

   unless 
  it 
  is 
  particularly 
  sought 
  for, 
  always 
  excepting 
  the 
  Jewar, 
  Tragopan 
  melano- 
  

   cephalus 
  (Gray). 
  The 
  reason 
  for 
  this 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  the 
  general 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  

   where 
  they 
  resort 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  inviting 
  in 
  appearance 
  to 
  the 
  sportsman 
  as 
  other 
  places 
  ; 
  

   besides, 
  they 
  are 
  everywhere 
  confined 
  to 
  particular 
  localities, 
  and 
  are 
  not, 
  like 
  the 
  rest, 
  

   scattered 
  indiscriminately 
  over 
  almost 
  every 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  regions 
  they 
  inhabit. 
  Their 
  

   haunts 
  are 
  on 
  grassy 
  hills 
  with 
  a 
  scattered 
  forest 
  of 
  oak 
  and 
  small 
  patches 
  of 
  under- 
  

   wood, 
  hills 
  covered 
  with 
  the 
  common 
  pine, 
  near 
  the 
  sites 
  of 
  deserted 
  villages, 
  old 
  

   cow-sheds, 
  and 
  the 
  long 
  grass 
  amongst 
  precipices 
  and 
  broken 
  ground. 
  

  

  "They 
  are 
  seldom 
  found 
  on 
  hills 
  entirely 
  destitute 
  of 
  trees 
  or 
  jungles, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  

   opposite 
  extreme 
  of 
  deep 
  shady 
  forest 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  ranges 
  they 
  keep 
  near 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  

   hill 
  or 
  about 
  the 
  middle, 
  and 
  are 
  seldom 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  valleys 
  or 
  deep 
  ravines. 
  Further 
  

   in 
  the 
  interior 
  they 
  are 
  generally 
  low 
  down, 
  often 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  

   villages, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  breeding 
  season, 
  when 
  each 
  pair 
  seeks 
  a 
  spot 
  to 
  perform 
  the 
  

   business 
  of 
  incubation 
  ; 
  they 
  congregate 
  in 
  flocks 
  of 
  from 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  to 
  ten 
  or 
  fifteen, 
  

   and 
  seldom 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  lots 
  inhabit 
  the 
  same 
  hill. 
  

  

  " 
  They 
  wander 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  about 
  the 
  particular 
  hill 
  they 
  are 
  located 
  on, 
  but 
  not 
  

   beyond 
  certain 
  boundaries, 
  remaining 
  about 
  one 
  spot 
  for 
  several 
  days 
  or 
  weeks, 
  and 
  then 
  

   shifting 
  to 
  another, 
  but 
  never 
  entirely 
  abandoning 
  the 
  place, 
  and 
  year 
  after 
  year 
  they 
  

   may, 
  to 
  a 
  certainty, 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  some 
  quarter 
  of 
  it. 
  

  

  "During 
  the 
  day, 
  unless 
  dark 
  and 
  cloudy, 
  they 
  keep 
  concealed 
  in 
  the 
  grass 
  and 
  

   bushes, 
  coming 
  out 
  morning 
  and 
  evening 
  to 
  feed. 
  When 
  come 
  upon 
  suddenly 
  while 
  

   out, 
  they 
  run 
  off 
  quickly 
  in 
  different 
  directions, 
  and 
  conceal 
  themselves 
  in 
  the 
  nearest 
  

   cover, 
  and 
  seldom 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  get 
  on 
  the 
  wing. 
  They 
  run 
  very 
  fast, 
  and 
  if 
  

   the 
  ground 
  is 
  open 
  and 
  no 
  cover 
  near, 
  many 
  will 
  run 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  hundred 
  yards 
  in 
  

   preference 
  to 
  getting 
  up. 
  

  

  " 
  After 
  concealing 
  themselves 
  they 
  lie 
  very 
  close, 
  and 
  are 
  flushed 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  yards. 
  

   There 
  is, 
  perhaps, 
  no 
  bird 
  of 
  its 
  size 
  which 
  is 
  so 
  difficult 
  to 
  find 
  after 
  the 
  flock 
  has 
  been 
  

   disturbed 
  and 
  they 
  have 
  concealed 
  themselves 
  ; 
  where 
  the 
  grass 
  is 
  very 
  long, 
  even 
  if 
  

   marked 
  down, 
  without 
  a 
  good 
  dog 
  it 
  is 
  often 
  impossible 
  to 
  flush 
  them, 
  and 
  even 
  with 
  

   the 
  assistance 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  dogs 
  not 
  one-half 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  a 
  second 
  time. 
  A 
  person 
  may 
  

   walk 
  within 
  a 
  yard 
  of 
  one, 
  and 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  move. 
  I 
  have 
  knocked 
  them 
  over 
  with 
  a 
  

   stick, 
  and 
  even 
  taken 
  them 
  with 
  the 
  hand. 
  In 
  autumn 
  the 
  long 
  grass, 
  so 
  prevalent 
  

   about 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  places 
  they 
  resort 
  to, 
  enables 
  them 
  to 
  hide 
  almost 
  anywhere 
  ; 
  but 
  

   this 
  is 
  burnt 
  by 
  the 
  villagers 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  winter, 
  and 
  they 
  then 
  seek 
  refuge 
  in 
  low 
  

   jungle 
  and 
  brushwood, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  dog 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  difficult 
  to 
  find. 
  

  

  