THE CHINQUIS, OR ASSAM PEACOCK PHEASANT (Polyptectron chinquis).
The countries of Assam, Silhet, Arucan, and Tenasserim, as far as Mergui, may be regarded as the habitat of this species, which received from Linnæus, who erroneously believed Thibet to be its native country, the name of the Thibet Peacock; and even now we are but little acquainted with its habits, owing to its shy disposition, and the preference it has for the innermost recesses of dense forests. In "Ornithognomon's" "Game Birds of India" is one of the most interesting of the few notices we possess. "I have never," says the writer, "shot this bird; and, indeed, only once came upon it. This was in a narrow path leading along a ridge about 3,000 feet above the sea, in the mountains on the British side of the Thoungyen River, which separates Tenasserim from Yohan in Siam. It started so suddenly, having apparently been dusting itself in the path, and shot so rapidly across the jungle, through the kud, that had it not left two or three of its feathers behind I should not have known what bird I had flushed. I am not aware of any English sportsman having ever bagged one of these Pheasants; and, indeed, it frequents such inaccessible places as effectually to defy approach. The mountains in the tropics rise to a height of six or eight thousand feet above the sea, and from 6,000 feet downwards are clothed with such a dense mass of trees, thickets, underwood, bamboos, and thorny rattans, all bound together by creepers and tangle, that it would be an hour's labour to cut any one's way through 100 yards of such stuff. I have, however," says the same writer, "kept these Peacock Pheasants in captivity, which they appear to bear tolerably well, but never become thoroughly tame. They were incessantly uttering a soft, low cluck, but emitted at times a cry or crow, being the same cluck loudly and rapidly repeated."
Two males of this species were sent by the Baba Rajendra Malhik to the London Zoological Gardens in 1857, and another pair in 1863, of which the female died; another female was obtained in 1864, which bred several times, and thus many particulars concerning their economy were learned. "Thus we know," says Mr. Sclater, "that two or three broods in a year are produced by the same pair, and are often covered by her tail, that the normal number of eggs is two, and that they are peculiarly delicate in form and colour, assimilating very closely to those of the Golden Pheasant (Thaumalea picta)—they are of a cream-colour, or buffy white, nearly two inches long, by one inch and seven-sixteenths broad."
Mr. Ellis, in his monograph on the Phasianidæ, states that Mr. Bartlett, superintendent of the Zoological Gardens, London, told him that the first time the young of this species were hatched in the Gardens, a Bantam Hen was employed as a foster mother, and the chicks would follow close behind her, never coming in front to take food, so that in scratching the ground she frequently struck them with her feet. The reason for the young keeping behind was not understood, until on a subsequent occasion two chicks were reared by a hen Chinquis, when it was observed that they always kept in the same manner behind the mother, who held her tail widely spread, thus completely covering them, and there they continually remained out of sight, only running forward when called by the hen to pick up some food she had found, and then immediately retreating to their shelter. It was thus rendered evident that the young, in following the Bantam Hen, were simply obeying the instincts of their nature, although the upright tail of their foster mother failed to afford them the protection which they would have found had they been reared by a female of their own species.
The PEACOCKS (Pavones) are distinguished from all other members of their family by the superiority of their size, and the extraordinary development of the feathers of the upper tail-covers. Their bodies are powerful; the neck moderately long, head small, wings short, and legs high; the beak is strong, arched at its culmen and hooked at the tip; and the foot of the male is armed with a spur. The crown of the head is adorned with a crest, formed either of long and slender or short bearded feathers. The region of the eye is bare. These fine birds only attain their full beauty when three years old.
The Peacock is a native of the East Indies and Ceylon, and is represented in Assam, the Sunda Islands, and Japan by the Pavo nigripennis. All the members of this glorious group frequent woods and jungle, preferring mountainous districts. On the Neilgherries and mountains of Southern India the Pavo cristatus is frequently met with at an altitude of 6,000 feet above the level of the sea; but it is not found in the Himalayas.
Williamson tells us that these splendid creatures abound chiefly in well-wooded localities, where there is an extent of long grass for them to range in. They are very thirsty birds, and will only remain where they can have free access to water. "About the passes in the Jungleterry districts," continues the same authority, "I have seen such quantities of Pea Fowls as have absolutely surprised me. Whole woods were covered with their beautiful plumage, to which a rising sun imparted additional brilliancy. The small patches of plain among the long grass, most of them cultivated, and with mustard then in bloom, which induced the birds to feed, added beauty to the scene; and I speak within bounds when I assert that there could not be less than twelve or fifteen hundred Pea Fowls of various sizes within sight of the spot where I stood for more than an hour." When on the wing they fly heavily, generally within an easy shot, but if only winged speedily recover, and if not closely pursued will nine times out of ten disappear. The capture of the Peacock is by no means a safe pursuit, for Williamson tells us that wherever that bird and the spotted deer abound the tiger will generally be a visitor; thus the borders of jungle containing such game are highly dangerous. At the season when the peepul berries and figs are in season their flesh is rather bitter; but when they have fed for a time among corn-fields, the flesh of the young is remarkably sweet and juicy. The nest is formed among thick shrubs or on high garden walls, or even on the roofs of houses. When the young are bred in an elevated situation, they are said to be carried to the ground by the parent on her back. The eggs, from four to six in number, are hatched within thirty days, and within three months of their birth the sex of the young is easily recognisable. When domesticated, the Peahen requires to be kept perfectly undisturbed during the period of incubation, or she will desert her little family.