The Monaul roosts in the larger trees, but in summer, when near or above the limits of the forest, will often sleep on the ground in some steep rocky spot. The female makes her nest under a small overhanging bush or tuft of grass, and lays five eggs of a dull white, speckled with reddish brown; the chicks are hatched about the end of May. By some persons, according to "Mountaineer," the flesh of the Monaul is thought equal to that of the Turkey, while others think it scarcely eatable. In autumn and early winter the females and young birds afford excellent food, but from the commencement of spring they deteriorate in that respect. The same writer tells us that in autumn, when the leaves have fallen from the trees and an extensive view through the wood is allowed, he has frequently stood till twenty or thirty have got up and perched on the branches, and then he has walked up to the different trees and fired at them in succession without disturbing any but those which were quite close to the spot. The Monaul is easily kept in confinement, and in that condition has bred in England; it appears quite capable of enduring the severity of our winter.
LHUYS' PHEASANT.
LHUYS' PHEASANT (Lophophorus Lhuysi). This newly-discovered species, which has received the name of Lophophorus Lhuysi from Geoffrey St. Hilaire, in honour of the French minister of that name, differs from the Monaul chiefly in the ornamentation of its head and tail, the feathers of its crest being acuminate instead of spatulated, and its tail of a greenish bronze adorned with white spots.
This bird inhabits the northern slope of the Great Himalaya range, while the Impeyan Pheasant occupies the southern slope of the same mountains. The female of this species resembles the Hen Monaul.
The TRAGOPANS, or HORNED PHEASANTS (Ceriornis), have a powerful body, moderate-sized wing, and short, broad tail composed of eighteen feathers. The bill is very short and rather weak, while the strong, flat foot is furnished with a spur. Two small, fleshy, horn-like appendages are situated behind the bare patch around the eye, and the naked skin on the throat is prolonged so as to form a pair of pendent lappets. The rich plumage of the male lengthens into a crest at the crown of the head, and is most beautiful both in its hues and markings, whilst that of the female is comparatively of sombre tint.
THE SIKKIM HORNED PHEASANT.
The SIKKIM HORNED PHEASANT (Ceriornis Satyra) is of a bright carmine-red on the brow, crown of the head, nape, and shoulders; a broad band, that passes from the temples to the back of the head, and a narrow line around the lappet at the throat, are also of the same glowing hue; the upper back, breast, and belly are red, enlivened with white spots edged with black; the mantle and upper tail-covers are brown, but each feather is delicately striped with black, and has a black spot at its extremity; some of the feathers on the upper wing-covers are also dotted with red, the dark brown quills are bordered and streaked with dull yellow; the tail-feathers are black, striped with dark brownish yellow.
The eye is deep brown, and the foot yellowish brown; the fleshy appendages and lappets are blue, spotted here and there with orange-yellow. The male is twenty-seven inches long, the wing measures eleven inches and a half, and the tail eleven inches. The plumage of the female is principally brown, darkest on the back, and enlivened by numerous black and red spots and streaks, as well as by the white shafts and dots of the feathers. Her length is only twenty-four inches, and that of her tail ten inches.
This species, which was the first known to naturalists, inhabits the Nepaul and Sikkim Himalayas, being more abundant in the former. "I have," says Jerdon, "seen it in spring at an elevation of about 9,000 feet above the level of the sea; and in winter it descends to between 7,000 and 8,000 feet in the vicinity of Darjeeling, and perhaps lower in the interior. It is frequently snared by the Bhotees and other Hill-men, and brought alive for sale at Darjeeling. Its call, which I have heard in spring, is a low, deep, bellowing cry, sounding like "waa-ung-waa-ung." Its general habits are no doubt similar to those of the C. melanocephala, which have been more accurately described."