188 
BIRD-LIFE. 
congeners in the glory of its sheen: the purple robes of 
the glacier, the silver surface of the stream, the blue 
mists of the distance, and the deep darkness of heaven’s 
dome above complete this magic picture. Yet the 
Monaul is not an inhabitant of the mountain heights, 
but a child of the woodland portion of these ranges. In 
the same district we find the less-widely distributed 
Horned Tragopan ( Ceriornis satyr a), proving the same 
fact: its dress is possibly less brilliant than the species 
last-named, but in delicacy of colours and their happy 
arrangement it is far superior. The upper regions of the 
Himalayas furnish a singular member of this order, 
which we call the Himalayan Snow Pheasant ( Tetraogallus 
himalayensis) : it is a Partridge, larger than a Blackcock; 
a giant by the side of the other members of the family. 
Asia, however, has endless diversity in its individual 
districts; it possesses deserts alongside of paradises. 
This is proved by Pallas’ Sand Grouse of the steppes 
of Northern Asia ( Syrrhaptes paradoxus ), which seems 
more likely to have come from Africa than to be a 
product of Asia. It is a representative of quite a different 
district from those countries south and east of the Hima¬ 
layas ; it is a child of the desert in its whole appearance. 
A glance at this species of Gallinaceous birds is sufficient 
to furnish characteristic traits of the Avi-fauna of Asia. 
There are, however, many other birds which are 
peculiar to that portion of the globe: on this account 
it will be necessary to mention some of them. The 
Dwarf Falcons ( Hierax ), Lilliputians of their family, are 
characteristic birds of Asia : they are about the size of a 
Bullfinch, but are so fierce that they can be trained for 
the chase. The Indian sportsman calls them Mootee, 
that is, “ a handful,” and casts them from the palm of 
