vicinity, when it creeps slowly through the underwood or flies
up into a tree, in the former case continuing its call until it
is again stationary, and in the latter, till it has concealed
itself in the branches. If several are together, all begin
to call at once, and run off in different directions, some
mounting into the trees, others running along the ground.
" When first put up, they often alight in one of the nearest
trees ; but if again flushed, the second flight is generally to some
distance, and almost always down hill. Their flight is rapid,
the whirr peculiar, and, even when the bird is not seen, may be
distinguished by the sound from that of any other.
" Where their haunts arc often visited, cither by the sportsmen
or the villagers, they are more wary ; and if such visits are of
regular occurrence, and continued for any length of time, they
become so in a very high degree, so much so that it is impossible
to conceive a forest bird more shy or cunning. They then, as
soon as aware of the presence of any one in the forest, after
calling once or twice, or without doing so at all, fly up into
the trees (which, near their haunts, are almost all evergreens of
the densest foliage), and conceal themselves so artfully in the
tangled leaves and branches that, unless one has been seen to
fly into a particular tree, and it has been well marked down, it
is almost impossible to find any of them.
" 1 n spring, as the snow begins to melt on the higher parts of
the hill, they leave entirely their winter resorts, and gradually
separate and spread themselves through the more remote and
distant woods, up to the region of birch and white rhododendron,
and almost up to the extreme limits of forest.
" Early in April they begin to p a i r ; and the males are then
more generali)- met with than at any other period ; they seem
to wander about a great deal, are almost always found alone,
and often call at intervals all day long. When thus calling, the
bird is generally perched on the thick branch of a tree, or the
trunk of one which has fallen to the ground, or on a large
stone. The call is similar to the one they utter when disturbed,
but is much louder, and only one single note at a time, a loud
energetic ' waa' not unlike the bleating of a lost goat, and may
be heard for upwards of a mile, it is uttered at various
intervals, sometimes at every five or ten minutes for hours together,
anil sometimes not more than two or three times
during the day, and most probably to invite the females to the
spot.
" When the business of incubation is over, each brood, with
the parent birds, keep collected together about one spot, and
descend towards their winter resorts as the season advances ;
but the forests are so densely crowded with long weeds and
grass, that they are seldom seen till about November, when
it has partially decayed, and admits of a view through the
wood.
" They feed chiefly on the leaves of trees and shrubs ; of the
former, the box and oak are the principal ones ; of the latter,
ringal and a shrub something like privet. They aiso eat roots,
flowers, grubs and insects, acorns and seeds, and berries of various
kinds, but in a small proportion compared with leaves. In
confinement they will eat almost any kind of grain.
" Though the most solitary of our Pheasants, and in their
native forests perhaps the shyest, they are the most easily
reconciled to confinement ; even when caught old they soon
lose their timidity, eating readily out of the hand ; and little
difficulty is experienced in rearing them.
" The sportsman desirous of getting the Jewar should endeavour
to learn from the shikaris and people of the place whether
any are to be found in the neighbourhood before he commences
what may otherwise prove a toilsome and unsuccessful search.
You may hunt over very likely forests without finding a single
bird, and without previous information there is nothing for it but
to work through every part of the wood. In autumn and winter,
having learnt that the birds are about, he should proceed to some
well-wooded locality, and after taking a survey of the general
aspect of the forest, direct his way to some well-wooded ravine
or hollow, where the tapering summits of the morenda pine may
be seen towering above the rest of the forest trees, and the
dense and closely-wooded character of the forest shuts out from
a distance all view of the ground.
"Dogs are not necessary, but can do no harm if properly
under control.
" Should he pass near a spot where any of the birds are, he
will soon be made aware of their vicinity by their peculiar
call, which they will invariably utter on his approach.
" I f they begin calling while he is at a distance, or the underwood
prevents their being seen, though near, be should press
on them as quickly as possible, and endeavour to force them
to rise, or try and get a shot while one is passing over some
exposed spot, before they conceal themselves, in which they have
few equals. If they fly into the trees, the particular tree into
which one has flown, must be well marked down, and, if possible,
the particular part, or it will be difficult to find it. From the
thick and tangled character of the woods where they generally
resort, crowded and entangled with multitudinous trunks and
arms of trees, and dense clusters of tall ringal, it is seldom a
fair shot can be got at them on the wing, and the only alternative
is to shoot them in what some will perhaps deem an unsportsmanlike
way, on the ground, or in the trees.
" A lot once found in any part of the forest, they may, to a
certainty, be found again daily at the same spot, or in its immediate
vicinity, but each day they will become more shy and
wary, and it is useless to hunt for them on the same ground
many days successively, as, after being disturbed once or twnce,