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vengan on the giddy height far above, here scarce circulates.
A stony stillness, an oppressive weight, broods over the deep and perpetual shade engenders a chilling
deadly damp, in which broods the most fatal miasma. However, such are the spots where the Polyplectron,
the Kallij, the Fireback, and other species of hill-Pheasants dwell in the heat of the day, or seek refuge when

fresh, waves the lofty branches of the colossal Tl
abyss 5

disturbed from above.

«T have 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 clucks loudly and rapidly repeated. It devours grain of all kinds and insects with equal
eagerness.”

Dr. Jerdon informs Mr. Elliot that a living specimen, pr
‘is a timid bird, and does not care for leaves, but is very fond of inse
lizards, and raw meat. It has a peculiarly fine rich whistling call, which it utters daily about sunrise and
occasionally at other times.”

In Mr. Sclater’s “ List of the Species of Phasianidz, with remarks on their
roceedings of the Zoological Society of London’ for 1863, he says :—‘ We received two
males of this species in 1807, presented to us by the Babu Rajendra Mullick, which are still living in good
health in the Gardens. The same gentleman has again sent us a pair this year; but the female unfortunately
died before reaching England. There is, however, no doubt that this fine bird would do well in captivity.”

Subsequently Gin July 1864), the Babu sent another female, which has several times bred in the Society’s
Gardens, and by this means we have become acquainted with several particulars in the bird’s economy, which

esented to him and now in the Zoological Gardens,
cts, and will eat greedily of small fish, frogs,

Geographical Distribution,”

published in the ‘P

are doubtless equally characteristic of those of the other species of the genus: thus we now know that two
or three broods in a year are frequently produced by the same pair, that the young follow closely behind
the female and are often covered by her tail, that the normal number of the eggs is two, and that they are
peculiarly delicate in form and colour, assimilate very closely to those of the Golden Pheasant (Zhaumalea
picta), and are of a cream- or buffy white, nearly two inches in length by one inch and seven sixteenths in
breadth.

Mr. Elliot, states, in his ‘Monograph of the Phasianide,’ that the Superintendent of the Zoological
Society’s Gardens, Mr. A. D. Bartlett, informed him “that, the first time the young of this species were
hatched in their gardens, a Bantam hen was employed for a foster-mother, and that 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 in her rear was not understood until, on a subsequent
occasion, two chicks were reared by a hen P. chinguis, when it was observed that they always kept in the
same manner close 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 accurate representation of these fine birds, taken from the living examples in the Gardens of the
Zoological Society, renders any verbal description quite unnecessary, except to remark that the spots on the
back are of a rich metallic purple in all lights, while those on the tail are green.

The figures represent the two sexes, about nine-tenths the size of life. ;