2^2 THE HIMALAYAN SNOW-COCK. 



Buspa, which are breeding grounds, are in reality beyond the 

 first Snowy Range, although a person may get to them almost 

 without seeing snow. Both these places are breeding grounds 

 of the Snow-Pheasant, but by far the greater number of these 

 birds which in winter are found on our side of the Snowy 

 Ranges go up into Thibet to breed. The business of incuba- 

 tion commences about the end of May, and some eggs are 

 laid as late as the beginning of July. The nest is a hole 

 scratched in the ground under shelter of a stone or rock, a 

 tuft of grass or a juniper, or other bush of the high regions 

 where it breeds. The Snow-Pheasants, and indeed all the rest 

 of the Pheasants, exercise considerable ingenuity in picking 

 out places for their nests, for they will almost always be found 

 well sheltered from the rain. None make a nest, — that is, 

 they bring nothing as material to it, — but nests, where grass 

 and leaves are thick, get pretty well lined with these and 

 feathers. I have never myself found a Snow-Pheasant's nest 

 with more than five eggs, and of three that I have lately ex- 

 amined, each contained that number, but the Panaris and 

 Tartars assure me that they lay up to nine, and even twelve, 

 and I have certainly seen as many as a dozen chicks at a time 

 altogether. Still it is very possible these may have belonged 

 to more than one brood. Snow-Pheasants are eminently 

 gregarious and do not always separate into pairs for the purpose 

 of incubation. Where a lot of young chicks are seen, several 

 old birds will generally be seen too. The eggs are about 27 

 long by 1 '9 wide, of a greenish hue, minutely speckled with 

 brown, chiefly at the pointed end." 



By degrees he has sent me a noble series of the eggs. In 

 shape they are long, nearly perfect ovals, slightly larger and 

 perhaps less pointed than those of the Moonal. The shell is 

 moderately fine and glossy, showing everywhere minute pitted 

 pores similar to, but much less marked than, those of the 

 Pea-Fowls. The ground is a paler or darker, more or less olive, 

 more or less brown, stone colour, more or less thinly speckled 

 and spotted, and at times blotched (though the blotches are 

 never large, rarely more than 0*15 in diameter), with brownish 

 red, pale chestnut, reddish, purplish or almost umber brown. 

 All the spots on each egg, and I think of every egg in the same 

 clutch, are of the same tint. The larger markings are apparent- 

 ly always towards the small end of the egg. 



In size twenty-five eggs that I have measured vary from 2'5 

 to 2*8 in length, and from 175 to ro,8 in breadth. The aver- 

 age of the whole 25 is 272 by 1*85. 



I HAVE BUT few dimensions recorded from fresh specimens 

 of this species ; these show that they vary as follows (and pro- 

 bably to a much greater extent) : — 



