¿.Wolf. fcJSmit.delS.lilh.
- ASL ÍUS WALL !¥■-!*
PHASIANUS WALL lull! I.
' avai.lich’b- im ikam .nt.
PHASIANUS WALLICHII, Hardw. Linn. Trans, vol. xy, pv 166.—Gray, List of B. Brit., Mus. (1844) p. 24.—Id. List Gall. (1867) p. 28.—Blyth,
' Cat. B. Mus. Asiat. Soc. Beng. (1849) p. 245. no. 1473:-Irby, Ibis (I86il>, p . 235— Jierd. B. of Ind.vol. iii. p. 527.-Gray, List B. Brit.
Mus. (1841),p.. 77.
P. STAGEII, Vigors, Proc.‘Zo'oi. Soc.,(1831) p. 35.-^-Gould, Cent. Birds, pi. 68. .
LOPHOPHORUS CUVIERI, Less. Trait. Orn. p. 489.
CATREUS WALLICHII, Adams, Proc. Zool...Soc. (Í858) p. 499.—Bon. Comp. Rend. (185:6).f . 878.—Sclat. Proc.-Zool. Soc. (1859) p; 205,
PHASIANUS (CATKEUS) WAlLICHII, Sctat Proc. Zool SocS¿S63).p 11 Ano 7 -BeoTOn,'IbSíl5;8 6 ^ ^ ^ p .G o u i a ! B.SfAsii, pt. 1?,
* pi.—Gray, Hand-list of Birds (1870), rp. 258. nofr9582.
LOPHOPHASIANUS WALLICHII, Réichenb. Syst. Av. p. xxix.
H ab. Western Himalayas, extending into NepaulK* .'
W a l l i c h ’s , or the Cheer Pheasant, although one of the plainest Of the family, is a fiffe, large bird. It dwells upon the lower ranges
of the Western limati«;-;,, 'never béing found in the high alMndes\so nmjjh freqi!ent6d'bf!fS|ÌTragòpahs. 8ic. Mountaineer's «dstunt
of the species' isS f a iill and compi«-e)*tWt‘a ^ tM b g . which f i l p S p i t e would be superfluous'; and I-therefore: give Ins ¡articlefgi his
own words This species," Says this accorate observer. J M n inhabitant » h e lower
ven- liiirlv elevations, ,i:,'d never ápjiroatiiiing the Uinits nf'Tii. ' " ^ i ¡ i ,i;* I. ’fr.r Iroiit. Kcir.jr rare, fewer perhaps'are ii:c-,.r:thi..tran of
H B i it is particularly sought fo r. always excepting the Jewar. | h e reason of t h i s ^ r a b e , that' the generaheharacter
of the groand H f c h e y resort is not so lifviting in appearance to the sportsman: g o t h e r - | « s * ; .besides; they tare,- everywhere
confined to particular localities; and aie. mil like tile
Their .haún«T¡!re on grassy hills ra th a scattered forest of oak '-a n d ism a '] i a t o ^ * u n d e tw b ^ o hilk;coíercdiwith:thé, :% m a n pine,
near -the site srof deserted vìll8$es! -oBiuífoVfsiete. «h’d thk boiig0 jia |b i á n :o n g * :p r c c tp :c e s ^ .They are seldom
found on hills .entirely destitute W> trees or jungles, or in the opposite e x trem e® déépitShády'i®s1^ii(|ihe':lowcr:xanges they keep
near the top o f the hill or about the middle and' arc eldom found in the valleys or deep ravines. F urther in the interior they are
M B — in thè immediate vicinity of tBtfilltigbs, ’ except-Hn the •bre'edi-it&.soni 'wllea each.'
perform die business of incubation; they congregate in -lloeks of from five o r six to ten or fifteen, and seldom more than two, or
three lots inhabit the same hill. They wander a good deal abont the particular M I they are located on, but not. beyond certain
bom,darles, remaining about one spot for several days or weeks, and then shifting to-another, hot .never entirely abandon, the ,plage,
in d i year, a f tá year may to a c e rtfe ty b e .fo u n i in 'some, quarter „f i t . During the aáy,.pñjess dark-and douSy -they keep concealed
in the giràss and bushes, coming out morning and evening; to feed; when- C0me‘ upon -s.uddenly while out, they nin off quic y in
(iiiloreiit dlreeiinns, ar.ll .conceal themselves-in the f f e r e W í e r , im d ' s e i a o H » than W oF t w o - g ^ ó f i - t h ^ g . The* ran.,very
fast ; ianii. if sthe^rOunil is .open and ao cover nenr. i S y ^ « ' » " » ul > e f a e n c c > getting-; I g a After
^ ^ P g themselves they lie very doge, and are f i n s ® within a few yM s 3 There . is, perhaps, .no bird o f . its isiee-which, is s j
difficult to find after the flock have been disturbed and they have concealed themselves ; where the grass is very long, even if marked
down, without a good dog it is often impossible, and with the assistance of the best dogs not one half will be found a second time
A person may walk within a yard of one and i t will not move. I have knocked them -over with a.stick, and e y e ^ taken them with
tho ia n d . In s tttm n S ie ilo n g grass, so prevalent about many of t h e a p jp f th e y resort « n a b l . e s them to hide almost anywhere ;
b„l this is burnt bv the villagers at the end o f winter, and they then seek refuge in low jungle and' brushwood, and with a . dog are
not so difficult to find. Both „tales and females often, crow at daybreak and dusk, and in cloudy weather sometimes during the day
The'c row is loud and sm g u la r jf iliw h e n there is nothing W in te rru p tth e sound, m,ay.be heard for at least a; mile. I t B U
like the words Mr-a /,ir, but a good deal varied; it is often'begun before complete daylight; and m
■ Ü when the birds are numerous, it invariably ushers i i the day. In. tbis respect , t may rival tbe d om e s t^ o c k When pairing
.nattered about, the crow is often kept up for nearly half an hour, first from one quarter, then another; and now and then
At other times it seldom lasts more than-five o r ten minutes.. The -Cheer Pheosant feeds chiefly
spring
and
im to join in a chorus. At other times it seldom lasts more than iwe or ten muiuu*. ‘
.1 tli i10]es in the ground; grubs, insects, seeds and berries, and, if near cultivated which fields, several kmdi
of
u n ruuws.ff’iwi *viiii.il ib u ia o u u ir a -iu n u t s w u m . , > •— T ' ---- . • . . . .
grain form a portion; it does not eat grass or leaves like the rest o f onr Pheasants. It is easy to rear m confinement, and might
without difficnity be naturalised in England, if it would stand tile long frosts and snows of seyere winters, which I imagine is raUleig
doubtful. T h e female m f f i s 'h e r nest in the grass or amongst low buhes, and lays -from nine to fourteen eggs o a u w i e,