THE BLOOD PHEASANT. I $7 



surprised to find them here in such a damp climate and so near 

 the plains ; but as the Singhaleela spur is higher than any other 

 range running south, I fancy they have gradually spread along 

 the ridge as far as it continued suitably elavated." 



Hodgson remarks of live birds that he had : — " They have an 

 erect Galline carriage, but the tail is carried low and descending." 



Mr. William Blanford says, in his notes on the Zoology of 

 Sikhim : — 



" Not rare on the Chola Range, but more common in the pine 

 forests of the Lachung Valley. I shot it only in the latter, in 

 September, in flocks of 10 to 15 birds, males and females, in 

 about equal proportions, and the young birds of the year in the 

 same plumage as the old ones, but easily distinguished by the 

 absence of spurs on their legs. The old birds had recently 

 moulted, and their tails were not full grown. 



" All that I saw were in the pine forests around Yeomatong, 

 where they were tolerably abundant. They rarely take flight 

 even when fired at, but run away and often take refuge on 

 branches of trees. I have shot five or six out of one flock by 

 following them up ; they usually escape up hill, and if, as fre- 

 quently takes place, the flock has been scattered, after a few 

 minutes they commence calling with a peculiar long cry, some- 

 thing like the squeal of a kite. The only other note I heard 

 was a short monosyllabic note of alarm ; I have heard a 

 bird utter this when sitting on a branch within twenty yards 

 of me. 



" In their crops I found small fruits, leaves, seeds, and in one 

 instance what appeared to me to be the spore cases of a moss ; 

 there were no leaves or berries of juniper, and the birds were 

 excellent eating. We did not notice the unpleasant flavour 

 mentioned by Hooker, probably because better food is abundant 

 at the season when we shot our birds, and they consequently 

 do not then feed upon pine or juniper." 



Of THEIR nidification nothing is accurately known. Mr. 

 Hodgson says in his notes, obviously on the faith of native 

 informants : — 



" The nest is placed on the ground amongst the grass and 

 bushes, a loose nest of grass and leaves. The eggs, 10 to 12 

 in number, are laid towards the end of April and in May, and 

 the young are ready to fly in July. 



14 Only the mother feeds and cares for the young." 



The FOLLOWING are dimensions recorded in the flesh by Mr 

 Hodgson : — 



Adult Males.— Length, 1775 to 19-5 ; expanse, 22-5 to 26*0; 

 wing, 8-0 to 9-0 ; tail, 6'5 to 7*0 ; tarsus, 275 to 3*0 ; bill, 0*81 to 

 0*87. Weight; lib 1 oz. to ifb 4 ozs. 



