﻿56 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  "Both 
  males 
  and 
  females 
  often 
  crow 
  at 
  daybreak 
  and 
  dusk, 
  and 
  in 
  cloudy 
  weather 
  

   sometimes 
  during 
  the 
  day. 
  The 
  crow 
  is 
  loud 
  and 
  singular, 
  and 
  when 
  there 
  is 
  nothing 
  

   to 
  interrupt, 
  the 
  sound 
  may 
  be 
  heard 
  for 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  mile. 
  It 
  is 
  something 
  like 
  the 
  words 
  

   chir-a-pir, 
  chiv-a-pir, 
  chir, 
  ckir, 
  chirwa, 
  chirwa, 
  but 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  varied 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  often 
  

   begun 
  before 
  complete 
  daylight, 
  and 
  in 
  spring, 
  when 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  numerous, 
  it 
  

   invariably 
  ushers 
  in 
  the 
  day 
  ; 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  it 
  may 
  rival 
  the 
  domestic 
  cock. 
  When 
  

   pairing 
  and 
  scattered 
  about, 
  the 
  crow 
  is 
  often 
  kept 
  up 
  for 
  nearly 
  half 
  an 
  hour, 
  first 
  from 
  

   one 
  quarter, 
  then 
  another 
  ; 
  and 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  all 
  seem 
  to 
  join 
  in 
  a 
  chorus. 
  At 
  other 
  

   times 
  it 
  seldom 
  lasts 
  more 
  than 
  five 
  or 
  ten 
  minutes. 
  

  

  "The 
  Cheer 
  Pheasant 
  feeds 
  chiefly 
  on 
  roots— 
  for 
  which 
  it 
  digs 
  holes 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  

   —grubs, 
  insects, 
  seeds 
  and 
  berries, 
  and, 
  if 
  near 
  cultivated 
  fields, 
  several 
  kinds 
  of 
  grain 
  

   form 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  its 
  diet 
  ; 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  eat 
  grass 
  or 
  leaves 
  like 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  our 
  pheasants. 
  

  

  " 
  This 
  bird 
  flies 
  rather 
  heavily, 
  and 
  seldom 
  very 
  far. 
  Like 
  most 
  others, 
  it 
  generally 
  

   utters 
  a 
  few 
  loud 
  screeches 
  on 
  getting 
  up, 
  and 
  spreads 
  out 
  the 
  beautifully 
  barred 
  feathers 
  

   of 
  its 
  long 
  tail 
  both 
  when 
  flying 
  and 
  running. 
  It 
  does 
  not 
  perch 
  much 
  on 
  trees, 
  but 
  

   will 
  occasionally 
  fly 
  up 
  into 
  one 
  close 
  by, 
  when 
  put 
  up 
  by 
  dogs. 
  It 
  roosts 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground 
  generally, 
  and 
  when 
  congregated 
  together 
  the 
  whole 
  flock 
  huddles 
  up 
  in 
  one 
  

   spot. 
  At 
  times, 
  however, 
  they 
  will 
  roost 
  in 
  trees 
  and 
  bushes. 
  

  

  "The 
  Cheer 
  breeds 
  throughout 
  the 
  lower 
  ranges 
  of 
  the 
  Himalayas, 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  

   already 
  indicated, 
  at 
  elevations 
  of 
  from 
  four 
  to 
  seven 
  or 
  eight 
  thousand 
  feet. 
  Their 
  

   nests 
  may 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  from 
  April 
  to 
  June, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  eggs, 
  however, 
  being 
  laid 
  during 
  

   May, 
  early 
  or 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  month, 
  according 
  as 
  the 
  season 
  is 
  a 
  cold 
  or 
  warm 
  one. 
  

   Personally, 
  I 
  have 
  only 
  taken 
  three 
  nests 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  altogether, 
  so 
  that 
  I 
  cannot 
  

   generalize 
  safely 
  ; 
  but 
  my 
  impression, 
  derived 
  from 
  this 
  limited 
  experience, 
  is 
  that 
  they 
  

   always 
  nest 
  near 
  or 
  about 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  some 
  very 
  precipitous 
  hillside, 
  what 
  the 
  natives 
  

   call 
  'Dang,' 
  cliffs 
  not 
  absolutely 
  vertical, 
  but 
  still 
  the 
  next 
  thing 
  to 
  it, 
  broken 
  up 
  into 
  

   ledges 
  and 
  steps, 
  and 
  studded 
  with 
  down-trailing 
  bushes, 
  tufts 
  of 
  grass, 
  and, 
  growing 
  

   here 
  and 
  there 
  out 
  of 
  some 
  larger 
  cleft 
  or 
  wider 
  ledge, 
  a 
  few 
  stunted 
  trees. 
  

  

  "I 
  was 
  once 
  living 
  at 
  a 
  small 
  house 
  behind 
  the 
  'Camel's 
  Back' 
  at 
  Mussooree, 
  a 
  

   house 
  which 
  was 
  afterwards 
  converted 
  into 
  a 
  dispensary. 
  About 
  a 
  thousand 
  feet 
  below, 
  

   and 
  perhaps 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  this, 
  is 
  a 
  precipice 
  such 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  described, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  

   foot 
  of 
  this, 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  a 
  tuft 
  of 
  grass, 
  I 
  found, 
  on 
  the 
  3rd 
  of 
  May, 
  a 
  nest 
  of 
  the 
  

   Cheer 
  containing 
  two 
  eggs. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  mere 
  depression, 
  some 
  fourteen 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter 
  

   and 
  three 
  inches 
  in 
  depth 
  in 
  the 
  centre, 
  obviously 
  scratched 
  by 
  the 
  birds, 
  and 
  strewed, 
  

   rather 
  than 
  lined, 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  scraps 
  of 
  grass. 
  Eleven 
  more 
  eggs 
  were 
  laid, 
  one 
  daily, 
  

   and 
  then 
  the 
  hen 
  began 
  to 
  sit. 
  One 
  egg 
  was 
  addled 
  ; 
  the 
  rest 
  were 
  hatched 
  some 
  time 
  

   in 
  June, 
  but 
  I 
  kept 
  no 
  note 
  of 
  the 
  date. 
  The 
  whole 
  family 
  then 
  took 
  up 
  their 
  residence 
  

   in 
  the 
  precipice, 
  and 
  there 
  remained 
  until 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  October, 
  when, 
  the 
  young 
  being 
  

   nearly 
  full 
  grown, 
  I 
  commenced 
  shooting 
  them, 
  and 
  shot 
  a 
  brace 
  once 
  or 
  twice 
  a 
  week, 
  

   until 
  there 
  were 
  only 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  young 
  ones 
  left. 
  At 
  11 
  a.m. 
  they 
  were 
  always 
  in 
  the 
  

   upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  precipice 
  ; 
  my 
  dogs 
  used 
  to 
  be 
  put 
  in, 
  and 
  would 
  rummage 
  along 
  the 
  

   ledges 
  and 
  turn 
  them 
  out, 
  when, 
  after 
  a 
  few 
  strong 
  strokes 
  outwards 
  from 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  

   the 
  cliff, 
  they 
  would 
  all 
  but 
  close 
  their 
  wings 
  and 
  come 
  down 
  past 
  me 
  (I 
  always 
  stood 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  place, 
  on 
  a 
  knoll 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  cliff, 
  where 
  I 
  was 
  safe 
  from 
  stones) 
  like 
  

   lightning. 
  I 
  remember 
  well 
  missing 
  every 
  single 
  shot 
  the 
  first 
  day, 
  but 
  the 
  next 
  time 
  

  

  