The JEWAR, or WESTERN HORNED PHEASANT (_Ceriornis melanocephala_), differs
from the species last mentioned principally in the predominance of black
in the coloration of the under side. In the male the feathers on the
top of the head are black, with red tips; the nape, upper part of the
throat, and shoulder are scarlet; the feathers on the mantle dark brown,
ornamented with very delicate black lines and, towards their extremities,
with small black-edged white spots. The feathers on the breast and belly
are black, spotted with white, and slightly shaded with red; the quills
are pale black, spotted and edged with brown; the tail is black, striped
with brown and white at the ends of the feathers. The eye is nut-brown,
the bare patch that surrounds it bright red, while the fleshy horns are
pale blue; the lappets on the throat are purple, dotted with light blue
at the sides, and bordered with flesh-pink; the beak is horn-grey, and
the foot reddish. The male is from twenty-seven to twenty-eight inches
long, and from thirty-five to thirty-six broad; the wing measures ten
inches and a half; and the tail ten inches. The plumage of the female is
varied with different shades of brown and black on the upper parts of the
body, and with greyish brown, black, and white on the under side; the back
is enlivened by pale yellow markings, and the under side by irregular
white spots. The length of the female is twenty-three inches, the breadth
thirty-one inches and a half; the wing measures nine inches and a half,
and the tail eight inches and a half. (See Coloured Plate XXX.)
These birds are found from the western borders of Nepaul to the extreme
North-west Himalayas; they are not very common near Simla and Mussooree,
but are more plentiful near Almora.
"Their usual haunts," says "Mountaineer," "are high up, not far from
the snows, in dense and gloomy forests, where they live either alone or
in small scattered parties. In winter they descend the hills, and then
their favourite haunts are in the thickest parts of the forests of oak,
chestnut, and morenda pine, where the box-tree is abundant, and where
under the forest trees a luxuriant growth of 'ringalt' or the hill bamboo
forms an underwood in some places almost impenetrable. They keep in
companies of from two or three to ten or a dozen or more, not in compact
flocks, but scattered widely over a considerable space of forest, so that
many at times get quite separated and are found alone." Jerdon tells us,
"that if undisturbed, they generally remain pretty close together, and
appear to return year after year to the same spot, even though the ground
be covered with snow, for they find their living then upon the trees. If
driven away from the forest by an unusually severe storm or any other
cause, they may be found at this season in small clumps of trees, wooded
ravines, or patches of low brushwood.
"At this season, with the exception of its cry of alarm when disturbed,
the Jewar is altogether mute, and is never heard of its own accord to
utter a call or note of any kind; unlike the rest of our Pheasants, all of
which occasionally crow or call at all seasons. When alarmed it utters a
succession of wailing cries, not unlike those of a lamb or kid, like the
syllables 'waa, waa, waa,' each syllable uttered slowly and distinctly
at first, and more rapidly as the bird is hard pressed and about to take
wing. Where not repeatedly disturbed, it is not particularly shy, and
seldom takes alarm till a person is in its immediate vicinity, when it
creeps slowly through the underwood, or flies up into a tree, in the
former case continuing its call till again stationary, and in the latter
till it has concealed itself among the branches. If several are together
all begin to call at once, and run off in different directions, some
mounting into the trees, others running along the ground. When first put
up they often alight in one of the nearest trees; but if again flushed the
second flight is generally to some distance, and almost always down-hill.
Their flight is rapid, and the whirr produced by the wings peculiar, so
that even when the bird is not seen it may be distinguished from any other
species. Where their haunts are often visited, either by the sportsmen
or the villagers, they are more wary, and if such visits are of regular
occurrence and continued for any length of time, they become alert in a
very high degree; so much so that it is impossible to conceive a forest
bird more shy or cunning. They then, as soon as aware of the presence of
any one in the forest, after calling once or twice, or without doing so
at all, fly up into the trees, which near their haunts are almost always
evergreens of the densest foliage, and conceal themselves so artfully
among the tangled leaves and branches that unless one has been seen to
fly into a particular tree, and it has been well marked down, it is
almost impossible to find them. In spring, as the snow begins to melt on
the higher parts of the hills, they entirely leave their winter resorts,
and gradually separate and spread themselves through the more remote and
distant woods, up to the region of birch and white rhododendron, and
almost to the extreme limits of forest. Early in April they begin to pair,
and the males are then more generally met with than at any other period;
they seem to wander about a great deal, are almost always found alone,
and often call, at intervals, all day long. When thus calling, the bird
is generally perched on the thick branch of a tree, or the trunk of one
which has fallen to the ground, or on a large stone; the call is similar
to the one they utter when disturbed, but it is much louder and only one
single note at a time--a loud energetic 'waa,' not unlike the bleating
of a lost goat--and can be heard for upwards of a mile. It is uttered at
various intervals, sometimes every five or ten minutes for hours together,
and sometimes not more than two or three times during the day; its purport
most probably is to invite the females to the place. When the business of
incubation is over, the broods, with the parent birds, keep collected
together about one spot and descend towards their winter resorts as the
season advances; but the forests are so densely crowded with long weeds
and grass that they are seldom seen till about November, when these have
partially decayed, so as to admit of a view through the wood."
The Jewar feeds chiefly on the leaves of trees and shrubs: of the former
the box and oak are the principal ones; of the latter, _thugall_ and a
shrub something like privet. It also eats roots, flowers, grubs, insects,
acorns, seeds, and berries of various kinds, but in small proportion as
compared with leaves; in captivity it will eat almost any kind of grain.
Though the most solitary of our Pheasants, and in its native forests
perhaps the shyest, it is the most easily reconciled to confinement; even
when caught old it soon loses its timidity, eating readily out of the
hand, and little difficulty is experienced in rearing it.
"The Jewar," says Jerdon, "roosts in the trees; and in winter, perhaps for
warmth, seems to prefer the low evergreens, with closely interwoven leaves
and branches, to the larger trees which overshadow them."
We are without particulars respecting the incubation of this species.
* * * * *
The JUNGLE FOWLS (_Galli_) have a powerful body, short wings, and a
moderate-sized graduated tail, consisting of fourteen feathers, placed
vertically one above another. The beak is strong, of medium length, arched
at its culmen, and curved at the tip of the upper mandible; the high foot
is armed with a spur; a fleshy comb rises at the top of the head, and from
the lower part of the beak depend soft fleshy wattles; the region of the
cheek is bare. The thick, variegated plumage is so prolonged on the upper
tail-covers as to conceal the real tail, over which the flowing feathers
fall in graceful sickle-shaped curves. India and the Malay Islands seem
to be the native abodes of these birds, each species, however, having its
peculiar habitat. All the members of the group lead a retired life within
the recesses of woods and forests, and for this reason we are but little
acquainted with any minute details concerning the habits of many species.