E U P L O C A M Ü S A L B O C R I S T A T U S .
of the females or in defiance o f his fellows I cannot say, as I have never seen the bird in the act, tlioiigh often led to the spot
where they were by the sound.”
“ It feeds on roots, grubs, insects, seeds and berries, äud the leaves and shoots o f shrubs^- It is rather difficult to rear in
confinement when caught old; and the few chicks I have tried have also soon died, though possibly from want of proper care
and attention. It is singular that, o f the hill-Pheasants, the one most coiiimbn near the habitations o f man should so ill brook the
loss of liberty, while the Jewar (Ceriornis melanocephald), the most retired and solitary <o f all, is the most easily reconciled to it*
The Kaleege lays from nine to fourteen eggs, much similar in size and colour to those of the domestic hen. They are hatched
about the end o f May.
“ In- the lower hills, in the absence o f larger game, this bird may serve to while away a few hours o f the sportsman’s time -in
almost every place where there is wood or ju n g le ; narrow well-wooded ravines and thickets' of low jungles are the places to look
for it. A good day is essential; and without one, though a bird may be occasionally picked up, it is Jhardly worth while going
out. In - travelling in the interior, a dog used to hill-shooting should always, if available, be, brought; and with its assistance a
few Kaleege may be bagged in some of the coppices and jungles passed through almost every day’s march, till the regions where
larger game is expected are reached.”
The habit possessed by this species of making a drumming sound with its wings, as related above, is, so far as I am aware,
usual -also with other members o f this family; and the males o f some species o f the Tetraoninm are accustomed t o E j |||h e i r hens
into their presence by this means : St is for this purpose doubtless that the Kaleege employs a similar artifice. The Ruffed Grouse
of America (Bonasa umbellus) is most given to this h ab it; but with that species it is not confined solely to the breeding-season,
as I have often listened to the rolling sound made by the male in the forest late in the autumn when, mounted upon some
fallen tree, he rapidly beats his sides with his wings, producing a muffled sound, which is heard for a considerable distance in the
silent woods.
I am informed by Lieut.-Col. D’Estrange that this bird also has the habit o f flying, when disturbed, into some tree near by,
and remaining perched upon a limb near to the trunk.in a perfectly motionless upright attitude, so that it is extremely difficult for
any one to observe it. No sooner, however, does the sportsman succeed in ascertaining the bird’s position, than, as if aware of
the fact, it leaves its perch and flies downward towards the ground with such rapidity that the eye can scarcely follow its course,
and generally succeeds in escaping. Several species o f Grouse have the same singular h a b it; and doubtless other species of
Pheasants also strive to escape pursuit in like manner, for so still are they when in the trees that it is- no easy matter to distinguish
them from the branches themselves.
Mr. Ax Leith Adams, in his “ Notes on some o f the Birds of India,” in the ‘ Proceedings o f the Zoological Society’ for 1858,
gives the following account of this species:—“ Galled Kallege, Kookera, Meerghee, by the natives. Abundant on the ranges around
Simla; not common on the Cashmere ranges. This is -th e most common and widely distributed of all the Pheasants on .the
Western Himalayan ranges. Unlike any of the other species, it is found from the Sewalik range to the limits of forest. The
average weight of the male is about 3 lbs.; the female about 2$- lbs.; young birds o f the first year from l i to 1-f lb. The plumage
of the young is like that o f the female until the first moult. When a Kallege Pheasant is flushed, it utters a succession o f short
calls, like the word “ p ink;” that of the young bird is harsher, and resembles the call of the P . Wallichii, for which it is often
mistaken. • They spend the day in dense jungles, perching on trees at night, to which they often betake themselves when flushed.
Their flight is strong and rapid; when on the ground, the male walks with the tail half erect and spreading. The food consists
of soft roots, aconis, &c.; the former they dig up with their bills, ¡shuffling the earth with their feet like the domestic, fowl:
They run vvith great rapidity, and are very cunning: when roosting they secrete themselves among the thickest foliage, and will
not stir even when the sportsman may be within a few yards. Among their winged enemies are the Lämmergeiers, Aq. ncema, &c.
The Pine-Martin (Martes flamgula, Bodd.) preys on the species, and eats its eg g s; the latter are white, and about the size' of
the Bantam’s:”
This species is rare on the Cashmere ranges, more plentiful on those near the Punjab. This and Pwrasia macrolopha are
not seen in the same localities. Both are common on certain ranges about Simla,— the G. albocristatus low down, while the
P . macrolopha inhabits the oak- and pine-forests at higher elevations on the same ranges.
In a communication addressed to the Zoological Society in 1859, Dr. Sclater stated that the period of incubation o f this species,
which had bred in the Gardens of the Society, was twenty-six days.
Male.—Upper part of head and feathers o f the crest soiled white. Back of neck, line over the bare skin, and sides of face
dark blue. Breast and flanks bufly white, the feathers long and lanceolate. Abdomen dark brown. Back and wings blue, the
feathers margined with brownish white; primaries brown. Rump and upper tail-eoverts brownish black with blue reflections, each
feather broadly margined with white, giving the whole a whitish appearance. Tail and the long tail-coverts dark brown, with rich
blue reflections. Skin o f face rich red. Feet and legs red. Bill horn-colour.
Female.—Entire upper parts umber-brown, each feather margined with brownish white and finely dotted with black. Underparts
rufous brown, broadly margined with bufly white. Two central tail-feathers mottled with brown and black, the rest with
deep blue reflections. Face red. Feet and legs yellowish.