THE RED JUNGLE-FOWL. 22$ 



" In the early morning, or towards evening, the birds come 

 out from the dense thicket, where they retire during the heat of 

 the day to feed near the edge of the forest. They like to scratch 

 about at the back of old cattle-sheds, and where crops grow 

 close to the jungle side will enter the corn fields to feed. In 

 some places, where the borders of the forest are much broken 

 and irregular, and the villagers have cultivation here and there 

 between patches of wood and bushes, I have seen capital 

 bags made by a couple of guns, three or four beaters, and a 

 few bustling spaniels. The plan is this : to beat out strips and 

 patches separately, and make a corner here and there, placing 

 the guns in the first instance between the patch of standing 

 crop about to be beaten, and the forest towards which the 

 Jungle-Fowl when flushed are certain to make. The birds 

 finding their retreat cut off, and pushed hard by men and 

 dogs, are forced to take flight, and when well on the wing offer 

 as fine a shot as a sportsman could desire." 



Col. Williamson, Inspector-General of Police in Assam, 

 remarks : — 



" The Red Jungle-Fowl is found in the Garo Hills, and in all 

 the Assam plains districts. I shot the bird beyond Sadiya the 

 other day. It is a permanent resident in Assam ; it is found 

 in bamboo and tree jungle, and is very often numerous near 

 villages. In the low hills near Susung in the Mymensing 

 District of Bengal, I have had excellent sport with these 

 birds. I had the hills thoroughly beaten by beaters, the guns 

 being carefully posted across the line of flight of the birds. I 

 have shot 10 to 12 couple in an hour's shooting in this way. 

 The best time for this sport is just at the season when the 

 cold weather rice crop is ready for the sickle ; say, during the 

 month of December and early in January." 



From Khoolna, Mr. Rainey writes : — 



" I have found this species here and there in small numbers, 

 in that tract of swampy forest country lying between the 

 estuaries of the Hooghly and Megna, and known as the 

 Sundarbans. 



" I have never found them in the dense grass or reed jungle. 

 They appear to stick to the forest, where they roost on the 

 branches, selecting the most horizontal ones they can find. 



" The cackling of the female, though it is slightly sharper, 

 much resembles that of the common domestic hen of Lower 

 Bengal ; and she appears to be always similarly noisy after 

 depositing her egg. The male gives forth his cock-a-doodle-do 

 quite as lustily, but in somewhat shriller tones than his 

 representative of the village poultry-yards, and where human 

 habitations at which fowls are reared exist adjoining the 

 forest, it is most difficult to distinguish between the crows of 

 tame and wild Chanticleers as they ' proclaim the coming 

 morn.' 



