trees, but will occasionally fly up into one close by, when put
up by dogs. It roosts on the ground generally, and when congregated
together, the whole flock huddle up in one spot. At
times, however, they will roost in trees and bushes."
I cannot avoid noticing that, in the case of this and several
other species, Ornithognomon's famous letters to the Field, are
mere abstracts and paraphrases of Mr. Wilson's papers, to which
the author's obligations are, it seems to me, insufficiently acknowledged.
T h e C h e e r breeds throughout the lower ranges of the Himalayas,
within the limits already indicated, at elevations of from
4,000 to 7,000 or 8,000 feet. Their nests may be met with from
April to June, most of the eggs, however, being laid during
May, early or late in the month, according as the season is a
cold or warm one. Personally, I have only taken three nests
of this species altogether, so that I cannot generalize safely,
but my impression, derived from this limited experience is, that
they always nest near or about the foot of some very precipitous
hill-side, what the natives call " Dang" cliffs not absolutely
vertical, but still the next thing to it, broken up into ledges and
steps, and studded with down-trailing bushes, tufts of grass, and,
growing here and there out of some larger cleft or wider ledge
a few stunted trees.
In 1853 I was living at a small bouse behind the " Camel's
Back" at Mussooree, a house which was afterwards converted
into a dispensary. About a thousand feet below, and perhaps
half a mile from this, is a precipice, such as I have described,
and at the foot of this, in the midst of a tuft of grass, I found,
on the 3rd May, a nest of the Cheer containing two eggs.
I t was a mere depression, some 14 inches in diameter and 3
inches in depth in the centre, obviously scratched by the birds,
and strewed, rather than lined, with a few scraps of grass.
Klcven more eggs were laid, one daily, and then the ben began
to sit. One egg was addled ; the rest were hatched some time
in June, but I kept no note of the date. The whole family
then took up their residence in the precipice, and there remained
until the middle of October, when, the young being nearly
full grown, I commenced shooting them, and shot a brace once
or twice a week, until there were only two or three young
ones left. At 11 A.M. they were always in the upper part of
the precipice ; my dogs used to be put in and would rummage
along the ledges and turn them out, when, after a few strong
strokes, outwards from the face of the cliff, they would all but
close their wings and come down past me ( i always stood in
the same place on a knoll at the foot of the cliff where I was
safe from stones) like lightning. I remember well missing
every single shot the first day, but the next time I got a brace,
and after that I never went home without one or two, and,
strange to say, my weekly, and sometimes bi-weekly, visits never
had the effect of driving them away, and what is more, in
October i 8 6 0 , when I again visited the place, I found my friends
in their old locality, and got three brace then and there.
I found another nest with several eggs late in May, in a very
similar situation, on Nagtibcr, at, I suppose, an elevation of
about 6,000 feet, and a third, containing four eggs, which I took
very earljr in May, a few miles from Juggutsook, in the upper
valley of the Bcas. This too was similarly situated.
Mr. Wilson tells us that " the female makes her nest in
the grass or amongst low bushes, and lays from nine to
fourteen eggs of a dull white, and rather small for so
large a bird. They are hatched about the end of May or
beginning of June. Both male and female keep with the young
brood and seem very solicitous for their welfare."
The eggs are, as remarked by " Mountaineer," very small for
the size of the bird. They arc of a very pale stone colour or a
dingy slightly café au lait tinted-white. They are almost devoid
of markings, but towards one or other end many specimens
exhibit small, somewhat pale, brownish red specks and spots ;
and one or two that I have seen have had a good number of
very minute specks of the same colour scattered about the surface.
They altogether want the warm café au lait tint of those of
the Moonal, Koklass, and the Kalij, and laid beside these eggs
they seem to have a slightly greenish tint. In shape they
resemble an ordinary hen's egg, and are not at all, as might
have been expected, like those of P. colchicus. The shell has
a slight gloss, but it exhibits throughout the minute pits or pores
so characteristic of rasorial eggs, in a much less degree no
doubt than those of the Peacock and others, but in a greater
degree than those of the Koklass.
They appear very uniform in size ; at any rate the specimens
I have measured only varied from 2'05 to 2'22 in length, and
from 147 to 1*56 in breadth.
IN THIS SPECIES the males arc much larger and heavier than
the females.
Males.—Length, 34'0 to 40*0 * ; expanse, 29/0 to 3ro ; wing,
9'6 to I0'4 ; tail from vent, 20'o to 23*0; tarsus, 2'8 to 2^95 ; bill
from gape, 135 to 145. Weight, 2 lbs. 10 ozs. to 3 lbs. 7 ozs,,
and, I believe, to nearly 4 lbs., though I have no note by mc
of the fact.
Females.—Length, 240 to 29^5 ; expanse, 2CV0 to 290 ; wing,
8'8 to 9-5 ; tail from vent, 13-5 to 155 ; tarsus, 2-5 to 2'65 ;
bill from gape, i'2 to 1-35. Weight, 2 lbs to 2lbs 12 ozs.
* Jerdon, quoting Wilson, says 46, and tail to 28. I have never met with such birds
(38 is, I think, the average length of fine Cocks), but Wilson is sure to be right, and
exceptional birds of these huge dimensions must occur.