THE INDIAN CRIMSON TRAGOPAN. 1 39 



you, and goes off with a sudden series of alarm notes that 

 frightens every other bird within a mile, you never having caught 

 the smallest glimpse of it throughout. But if you are in luck, 

 and all goes well, the right bird, and the right bird only answers, 

 and answers nearer and nearer, till, just as your dusky comrade, 

 forgetting, in his excitement, his wonted respect, pinches your 

 leo-, you see a head emerge for a second from the bases of the 

 ringal stems opposite ; again and again the head comes out with 

 more and more of the neck turned rapidly right and left, and 

 then out darts the would-be combatant towards you ; the 

 gun goes off, everything is hid for a moment in the smoke 

 hanging on the damp morning air, and then — well there is no 

 trace of the Tragopan ! I protest that this is an exact account of 

 the only good chance I ever had at one of these birds on the 

 calling " lay." 



Alas ! " the merry days when we were young !" I was soaking 

 wet, my legs were perfect porcupines of spear grass (we had crossed 

 a low valley) and leeches innumerable were feasting on my miser- 

 able self, but I said, and thought, that it was splendid sport ! 



The most characteristic points about these Tragopans are 

 the fleshy horns of the males and their gular lappet, which 

 latter, during the breeding season, especially when the birds are 

 excited by passion, extends downwards several inches, but which, 

 during the winter, are barely traceable. 



The horns, too, though erected when courting, are greatly dimi- 

 nished in size during the winter, and even during the breeding 

 season are, except at moments of excitement, concealed amongst 

 the crest feathers. They commence on the forehead opposite the 

 anterior angle of the eye, and their bases extend backwards, as 

 far as opposite the posterior angle, but despite this lengthened 

 base, above which they are sub-cylindrical, they lie back closely 

 against the occiput and back of the neck, and are completely 

 hidden by the crest. 



The whole orbital region is covered with a peculiar thick vel- 

 vety skin, which is prolonged over the lower jaw, and below this 

 spread and loosened into the gular flap. On the cheeks this skin 

 is thinly clad with small soft plumes, on the jaws and chin thinly 

 sprinkled with hair-like feathers, and on the throat quite naked. 



Brilliant as is the plumage of the birds, its effect is greatly 

 enhanced by the vivid blue of the horns and cheeks and blue and 

 orange of the wattle, but these are only to be seen to their 

 fullest advantage when the bird is courting. I have never wit- 

 nessed their nuptial dances, but natives have told me of it, and 

 it has been observed in captivity and carefully described by Mr. 

 Bartlet, as seen by him in the Zoological Society's Gardens. He 

 says : — " The males can only be seen to advantage in the early 

 morning and in the evening, as they conceal themselves during 

 the day ; the females, however, are less retiring in their habits. 

 When the male is not excited, the horns lie concealed under 



