172 MALAYAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



Ill Perak I found Jungle-fowl breeding from March to July; and 

 the young, when three or four weeks old, were capital eating — far 

 better than the full-grown bird, which has but little more game 

 flavour than the ordinary domestic fowl. 



At the first glimmer of daylight, and again towards evening, the 

 Jungle-cocks may be heard in all. directions, crowing loudly, and by 

 very careful stalking may occasionally be got at ; but I found far 

 the most successful plan was, either early in the morning, or else 

 about sunset, to sneak quietly along the edges of clearings and 

 patches of cultivation, which at those times the Jungle-fowl fre- 

 quent in search of food ; and in this way ; by dodging from bush to 

 bush, I frequently rendered a good account of them. But it re- 

 quired the most careful stalking, as on the slightest alarm the birds 

 ran into the thick jungle, where it was almost useless to follow 

 them. Once or twice I shot them in thick cover by letting my dog 

 hunt them up into the trees, which they did not leave till I was 

 within range. 



In Province Wellesley the Malays decoy Jungle-fowl by imita- 

 ting the crowing and flapping of the wings of the cock, when the 

 birds coming to accept the supposed challenge are shot. 



The following are descriptions of birds I shot near Kuala Kangsa, 

 Perak : — The cock, though in magnificent plumage, wanted the 

 white ear-coverts; he was about 22 inches in length, tarsus 3 inches ; 

 irides orange ; head and neck covered with long golden hackles ? 

 darkest on the head and nape ; the back and long upper tail-coverts 

 rich chestnut, the latter of a golden hue ; primary and secondary 

 wing-coverts black, glossed with metallic shades of purple and 

 green ; lesser coverts rich maroon ; wing-quills dusky, with rufous 

 margins to the outer webs ; tail black, glossed with green ; under- 

 pays dull black, with some of the feathers edged with brown. 



The hen is of much plainer plumage. Upper parts brown, mi- 

 nutely freckled with a paler and more rufous shade of the same 

 colour, with some of the feathers pale-shafted ; the hackles are 

 black, short, and edged with yellow ; underparts pale rufous-brown ; 

 the feathers of the breast pale-shafted ; length of bird about lo 

 inches. 



