Part 32

These birds, according to Bernstein, live by preference in thick, extensive wilds, where they are easily hidden between high stalks of plants, but nevertheless visit the fields and pastures in the vicinity of dwellings. Their quiet and retired mode of life makes it difficult to observe their habits. They take wing unwillingly, and avoid danger rather by running or squeezing themselves through sheltering plants than by flight. Their note is gentle, beginning loud and gradually becoming softer, "du, du, du," or "du, du, hi." Their food consists of insects, worms, and a variety of seeds; Bernstein himself kept them on grasshoppers and various insects. He several times found their nest, which was in a little hollow of the ground, scraped by the mother, and in this she prepared her bed of dry grass, stalks, and roots. In none of these nests were there more than six eggs; these are of a greyish olive-green, or olive-brown, more or less thickly sprinkled with numerous olive-brown specks. Bernstein tells us that these birds retain their shyness when tamed, and often injure themselves by beating against their cage; but Swinhoe says that in Canton they are highly esteemed as cage-birds, and may be pretty regularly found in the markets there. Latham informs us that this species, as well as the Common Quail, is used by the Chinese to warm their hands in winter, as may be seen in many drawings and paper-hangings from China, and that many of these birds are made into pies as a delicacy for Europeans during their voyage home. They are caught in China as in Europe by means of a call-pipe.

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The BUSH QUAILS (_Turnices_) are small birds with slender bodies, moderate-sized rounded wings, in which either the first quill is the longest, or the three first are of equal length. Their tail is composed of from ten to twelve narrow, weak feathers, and so small as to be almost entirely concealed beneath the upper and lower tail-covers; the medium-sized, straight, thin beak is high at its culmen and slightly arched towards its tip; the nostrils are situated at either side of the bill, and are partially covered with a small fold of skin; the delicate feet have long tarsi, and usually three or occasionally four toes.

The Bush Quails are spread over the whole of the Eastern Hemisphere, but are quite unknown in the western division of the globe. Australia would, however, appear to be their principal head-quarters, for in that country, according to Gould, they are met with in every part that has as yet been explored, except in the neighbouring islands. Everywhere they select open plains, stony tracts covered with grass, or mountain sides, and in such situations lead a life so retired as to render their capture a work of some difficulty, except during the breeding season. At that time both sexes lay aside their usual shy, quiet deportment, and exhibit the most fierce pugnacity towards all their companions. The strangest part of these encounters is that they are not confined to the males, as is usually the case, the females being fully as jealous and as violent as their mates, and, like them, constantly engage in such furious encounters as nearly to cost them their lives. Owing to this peculiar temperament these birds are trained by the Asiatics as fighting-cocks are in Europe. The nest is composed of grasses, and is placed in a hollow on the surface of the ground, under the shelter of a tussock of grass. The female usually lays four pear-shaped eggs.

THE BLACK-BREASTED BUSTARD QUAIL.

The BLACK-BREASTED BUSTARD QUAIL (_Turnix pugnax_), a well-known species of the above group, has the foot furnished with only three toes. The feathers on the mantle are of a dark brown tipped with crescent-shaped black and rust-red spots; the region of the eye, bridles, and cheeks are white, spotted with black; the wings are greyish brown, spotted with black and white; the quills are edged with white on the outer web; the throat is deep black, and the lower breast and belly bright rust-red; the rest of the plumage resembles that of the male. The eye is white, the beak light grey, and the foot dark yellow. This species is six inches long; the wing measures three inches, and the tail one inch. The female is considerably larger than her mate.

This interesting bird, which has long been a domestic favourite with the Hindoos and Malays, is very common in Java, where, as everywhere else, it frequents grassy patches in the forests and jungles, low bushy jungle, or fields of _dhal_ and other thick crops near patches of brushwood; but it is rarely found in barren country, or in cultivated ground where there is no shelter. It feeds on various kinds of grain, small insects, and grasshoppers. The call of the female is a peculiar, loud, purring sound.

"The hen birds," says Jerdon, "are most pugnacious, especially about the breeding season; and this propensity is made use of in the south of India to effect their capture. To this end a small cage with a decoy-bird is used, having a concealed spring compartment made to fall by the snapping of a thread placed between the bars of the cage. This is set on the ground in some thick cover, carefully protected. The decoy-bird begins her loud purring call, which can be heard a long way off, and any females within earshot rapidly run to the spot and commence fighting with the caged bird, striking at the bars. This soon breaks the thread, the spring-cover falls, at the same time ringing a small bell, by which the owner, who remains concealed near at hand, is warned of a capture, and at once runs up, secures his prey, and sets his cage again in another locality. In this way I have known twelve to twenty birds captured in one day in a patch of jungle in the Carnatic, where only I have seen this practice carried on. The birds that are caught in this way are all females, and in most cases are birds laying eggs at the time, for I have frequently known instances of some eight or ten of those captured so far advanced in egg-bearing as to lay their eggs in the bag in which they were carried before the bird-catcher had reached my house."

The eggs, which are usually laid in a hollow in the ground, behind a bush, or sheltered by a stone, are from five to eight in number, of a dull stone-grey or green tint, thickly spotted and freckled with dusky yellowish brown; they are blunt in shape and very large in proportion to the bird. The affection of the male of this species for its offspring would appear to be by no means inferior to that of the mother; for we learn from Swinhoe that upon one occasion, having succeeded in capturing two young Bustard Quails that were almost fully fledged and placed them in a cage, he observed the female parent, as he supposed, clucking like a hen, as it ran and crept about the prisoners in a vain endeavour to lure them out of their strange abode. In order to secure a specimen the bird was shot, and on examination proved to be a male. The Javanese rear this species on rice and small grasshoppers, and train both sexes to fight for their entertainment.

THE AFRICAN BUSH QUAIL.

The AFRICAN BUSH QUAIL (_Turnix Africanus_, or _T. Gibraltariensis_), one of the largest members of the group, is about six inches long; the sexes resemble each other in the coloration of their plumage, but the female is of much greater size, and fully one-third heavier than her mate. The dark brown head of the male is enlivened by three yellow streaks, and the back marked with irregular black and brown zigzag lines; the feathers of the wing-covers are yellow, with a black spot on the outer and a reddish yellow spot on the inner web; the throat is white, and the region of the crop reddish brown, each feather being edged with a lighter tint; the sides are reddish brown, with a few dark spots, and shade gradually into the pure white that covers the belly; the outer webs of the quills have light edges; the eye is yellow, the beak yellowish, and the foot lead-grey.

This species is found in many parts of Sicily and Spain, and stragglers are sometimes seen in the plains of Languedoc; it is met with also in the north of Africa, especially among the thickets and dwarf palms of Mount Atlas. Tristram informs us that a nest found in Algeria was most carefully concealed in thick bushes, and contained several eggs, slightly spotted, and of a purplish blue shade.

THE COLLARED PLAIN-WANDERER.

The COLLARED PLAIN-WANDERER (_Pedionomus torquatus_) has the foot furnished with four toes. The beak, which almost equals the head in length, is straight and compressed at its tip; the wings are short and shell-shaped, with the first, second, and third quills of equal size; the tail is short, the tarsus long, and the hinder toe placed high. In this species the top of the head is reddish brown, spotted with black; the brow and sides of the neck are light fawn-colour, dotted with black; the broad white band on the throat also shows black spots; the mantle-feathers are reddish brown, striped with black, and edged with reddish yellow; the middle breast is red, the rest of the under side fawn-colour, each of the feathers being marked like those on the back, whilst those at the sides exhibit broad irregular black spots; the tail-feathers are striped with blackish brown. The eye is straw-colour, the beak yellow, with black tip, and the foot greenish yellow. The male is four inches and a half long, and his wing three inches and a quarter, whilst his mate, who also surpasses him in the beauty of her markings, is not less than seven inches long; her wing measures three inches and a half, and the tail of both sexes one inch and a quarter.

"The structure of this singular little bird," says Gould, "is peculiarly well adapted for inhabiting the arid and extensive plains that characterise the eastern portion of Australia. The lengthened and courser-like legs of the Collared Plain-Wanderer are admirably suited for running, while its short, round wings are as little fitted for extensive flight. Its general contour suggests the idea of a diminutive Bustard. On its native plains this bird has many singular habits, particularly that of secreting itself among the scanty herbage, or of remaining quiet on the bare ground until it is nearly trodden upon before it will rise, and when it does take wing its flight is more contracted than that of any other bird with which I am acquainted." Sir George Grey states that these birds are migratory; appearing at Adelaide in June, and disappearing about January. While running about they are in the habit of raising themselves in a nearly perpendicular position on the extremities of their toes, so that the hinder part of the foot does not touch the ground, and of taking a wide survey around them.

"While in confinement," says the same observer, "these birds eat pounded wheat, raw boiled rice, bread, and flies; the latter appear to be their favourite food. They soon become perfectly tame. The three in our possession we have had for upwards of four months. The call of those we have in confinement precisely resembles that of the Emu--not the whistle, but the hollow-sounding noise, like that produced by tapping on a cask, which the Emu utters--but is, of course, much fainter."

Gould received from Mr. Strange a fully-developed egg, taken from the ovarium of the female, which in general character resembled those of the _Turnices_. It was somewhat suddenly contracted at the smaller end. The ground-colour was stone-white, sprinkled with small blotches of umber-brown and vinous grey, the latter tint appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell, the sprinkled markings predominating at the larger end. The egg was one inch and one-eighth long, and seven-eighths of an inch broad.

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The _Phasianidæ_ of Brehm comprise not merely the PHEASANTS PROPER, but all nearly allied groups. The members of this important division generally possess a comparatively slender body, medium-sized or short and much rounded wings, and a long or broad tail, composed of from twelve to eighteen feathers. The moderately long bill is much vaulted, with its upper mandible curved over the lower part of the beak, and occasionally prolonged into a sharp, nail-like tip; the rather high foot is furnished with long toes, and in the male is armed with a spur; the partially bare head is sometimes adorned with combs and lappets of skin, and sometimes with horn-like appendages or tufts of feathers. The plumage is glossy and brilliantly coloured. This family is almost entirely confined to the Eastern Hemisphere, only two species being found in America; and even in the Old World their distribution is nearly completely restricted to the warmer part of the Asiatic continent and its dependent islands.

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The TUFTED PHEASANTS (_Lophophori_) constitute a group distinguishable by their short, rounded tail, the feathers of which are not placed as in most other Pheasants, but present a fan-like arrangement.

THE MONAUL, OR IMPEYAN PHEASANT.

The MONAUL, or IMPEYAN PHEASANT (_Lophophorus resplendens_, _refulgens_, or _Impeyanus_), possesses a comparatively powerful body, moderate-sized wings, and a rather long tail, composed of sixteen feathers. The upper mandible is curved and sharply pointed at its tip; the foot is of medium height, that of the male furnished with a spur. The plumage of the male is magnificently coloured and very glossy; the region of the eye is bare, and his head decorated with a crest formed of numerous feathers; these are denuded of web at the roots and very broad at the extremities. The head and throat of this beautiful bird are of a metallic green, the crest is also of that hue, but resplendent with a golden sheen; the nape and upper part of the throat are of such a glossy purple or carmine-red that they gleam with all the brilliancy of the ruby; the lower parts of the throat and back are bronze-green, shaded with gold; the rest of the mantle, the wing and upper tail-covers are brilliant violet or blueish green; some few feathers on the under side are white, but its surface is principally black, shining with green and purple on the centre of the breast, and lustreless on the belly; the quills are black, the tail reddish brown; the eye is brown, the bare place that surrounds it blueish; the beak is dark grey, and the foot greyish green. The length is twenty-six and the breadth thirty-three inches; the wing measures from eleven to eleven and a half inches, and the tail eight inches and a quarter. The female is white upon the throat, the rest of her plumage being pale yellowish brown, spotted, striped, and marked with dark brown. The primary quills are blackish, the secondaries and tail-feathers striped black and brownish yellow. The size of the female is inferior to that of her mate.

We have from the pen of "Mountaineer" a full account of the life of the Monaul, but we cannot help regretting that such an excellent observer should look upon this magnificent species with the eye of a sportsman rather than with that of a naturalist. "The Monaul is found on almost every hill of any elevation, from the first great ridge of the Himalayas above the plains to the limits of the wooded district, and in the interior it is the most numerous of the game-birds. When the hills near Mussooree were first visited by Europeans it was found to be common there, and a few may be still seen on the same ridge eastwards from Landour. In summer, when the rank vegetation which springs up in the forest renders it impossible to see many yards around, few are to be met with, except near the summits of the great ridges jutting from the snow, where in the morning and evening, when they come out to feed, they may be seen in the green glades of the forest and on the green slopes above. At that time no one would imagine they are half so numerous as they really are, but as the cold season approaches, and the rank grass and herbage decay, they begin to collect together. The wood seems full of them, and in some places hundreds may be put up in a day's work. In summer the greater number of males and some of the females ascend to near the limits of the forests, where the hills attain a great elevation, and may often be observed on the grassy slopes a considerable distance above. In autumn they resort to those parts of the forest where the ground is thickly-covered with decayed leaves, and descend lower and lower as winter sets in, and the ground becomes frozen or covered with snow. If the season be severe, and the ground covered to a great depth, they collect in the woods which face south or east, where the snow soon melts in the more exposed parts, or descend much lower down the hill, where it is not so deep, and thaws sufficiently to allow them to lay bare the earth under the bushes and sheltered places. Many, particularly females and young birds, resort to the neighbourhood of the villages situated up in the woods, and may often be seen in numbers in the fields. Still, in the severest weather, when fall after fall has covered the ground to a great depth, many remain in the higher forests during the whole winter; these are almost all males, and probably old birds. In spring all in the lower parts gradually ascend as the snow disappears.

"In the autumnal and winter months numbers are generally collected together in the same quarter of the forest, though often so widely scattered that each bird appears to be alone. Sometimes you may walk for a mile through the wood without seeing one, and suddenly come to some part where, within the compass of a few hundred yards, upwards of a score will get up in succession: at another time, or in another forest, they will be found dispersed over every part--one getting up here, another there, two or three farther on, and so on for miles. The females keep more together than the males; they also descend lower down the hills, and earlier, and more generally leave the sheltered woods for exposed parts, or the vicinity of the villages, on the approach of winter. Both sexes are found separately in considerable numbers. On the lower part or exposed side of the hill, scores of females and young birds may be met without a single old male; while higher up, or on the sheltered side, none but males are to be found. In summer they are more separated, but do not keep strictly in pairs, several being often found together. It may be questioned whether they do pair or not in places where they are at all numerous; if they do, it would appear that the union is dissolved as soon as the female begins to brood, for the male seems to pay no attention whatever to her whilst sitting, or to the young when hatched, and is seldom found with them.

"From April to the commencement of the cold season, the Monaul is rather wild and shy, but this soon gives way to the all-taming influence of winter's frosts and snows; and from October it becomes gradually less so, till it may be said to be quite tame, but as it is often found in places nearly free from underwood, and never attempts to escape observation by concealing itself in the grass or bushes, it is perhaps sooner alarmed and at a greater distance than other Pheasants, and may therefore appear at times a little wild and timid. In spring it often rises a long way in front, and it is difficult to get near it when it again alights, if it does not at once fly too far to follow; but in winter it may often be approached within gunshot on the ground, and when flushed it generally alights on a tree at no great distance, and you may then walk quite close to it before it again takes wing.

"In the forest, when alarmed, it generally rises at once without calling or running far on the ground; but on the open glades, or grassy slopes, or any place where it comes only to feed, it will, if not hard pressed, run or walk slowly, in preference to getting up; and a distant bird, when alarmed by the rising of others, will occasionally begin and continue calling for some time while on the ground. It gets up with a loud fluttering and a rapid succession of shrill whistles, often continued till it alights, when it occasionally commences its ordinary loud and plaintive call, and continues it for some time. In winter, when one or two birds have been flushed, all within hearing soon become alarmed: if they are collected together, they get up in rapid succession; if distantly scattered, bird after bird slowly rises--the shrill call of each alarming others still farther off till all in the immediate neighbourhood have taken wing. When repeatedly disturbed by the sportsmen or _shikaries_, they often take a longer flight.

"In spring, when the snow has melted in every part of the forest, and they have little difficulty in procuring food, they appear careless about being driven from any particular spot, and often fly a long way; but in winter, when a sufficiency of food is not so easily obtained, they seem more intent on satisfying their hunger, and do not heed so much the appearance of man. The females seem at all times much tamer than the males. The latter have one peculiarity, not common in birds of this order; if intent on making a long flight, an old male, after flying a short way, will often cease flapping his wings, and soar along with a trembling, vibratory motion at a considerable height in the air. At such times, particularly if the sun be shining on his brilliant plumage, he appears to great advantage, and certainly looks one of the most magnificent of the Pheasant tribe."

The call of the Monauls is a loud, plaintive whistle, which is often heard in the forest at daybreak or towards evening, and occasionally at all hours of the day. In severe weather, numbers may be heard calling in different quarters of the wood before they retire to roost. The call has rather a melancholy sound, or it may be that as the shades of a dreary winter's evening begin to close on the snow-covered hills around, the cold and cheerless aspect of nature with which it seems in unison make it appear so. In autumn the Monaul feeds chiefly on a grub or maggot which it finds under decayed leaves; at other times it subsists on roots, leaves, and the young shoots of various shrubs and grasses, or when obtainable, on acorns and other seeds and berries. In winter it often feeds in the wheat and barley fields, but does not touch the grain; roots and maggots seem to be its only inducement for digging amongst it. At all times and in all seasons it is very assiduous in the operation of digging, and continues at it for hours together. In the higher forests, where large open plots occur quite free from trees or underwood, early in the morning or towards evening these localities may often be seen dotted over with Monauls all busily engaged at their favourite occupation.