The Cambridge natural history, Vol. 09 (of 10)Evans, A. H. (Arthur Humble)
Science
The Cambridge natural history, Vol. 09 (of 10)
Evans, A. H. (Arthur Humble)
Animals; Birds
_Tetraogallus tibetanus_, the Tibetan "Snow-Cock" or "Snow-Pheasant," is
dark grey above, with buff markings towards the wings and rump, and black
vermiculations; the under parts are white, with a grey pectoral band and
black streaks posteriorly. There is a yellowish naked patch behind the eye,
the bill is orange, and the feet are red. The sexes are similarly coloured,
but the male has a pair of strong blunt spurs. The range extends from East
Turkestan to West China, where _T. henrici_ occurs, with a grey chest. _T.
himalayensis_, found from the Himalayas to the Hindu Kush and the Altai
Mountains, has the pectoral band and a patch on each side of the head and
nape chestnut, the chest white with black bars, the orbits yellow, the bill
dusky, and the feet orange. _T. caspius_, extending from the Taurus to
Transcaspia and South Persia, has the upper breast grey with black spots,
and lacks the chestnut on the head; _T. caucasicus_ of the Caucasus has the
occiput and nape rufous, and the chest black and buff; _T. altaicus_ of the
Altai range has the last spotted with white, but no white bases to the
secondaries as in the two preceding forms. These large active birds haunt
stony hill-sides above the forest-zone and near the snow-line, being
gregarious, yet keeping in pairs; they are wild and wary, fly straight and
swiftly, utter shrill whistles or cackling notes, and feed upon insects,
buds, roots, grass, moss, and fern. From six to nine yellowish or olive
eggs with reddish or purplish spots, generally one-third larger than those
of the Capercaillie, are laid in a hollow in the soil, sheltered by a stone
or overhanging tuft.
_Tetraophasis obscurus_ of East Tibet is in both sexes {230}brownish-grey
above, with blackish markings anteriorly, olive tints on the mantle, and
buff on the wings; the throat and some blotches on the flanks are chestnut,
the breast is grey with black spots, the abdomen grey and buff, the tail
mainly black and white. The male has two stout spurs. _T. széchenyii_ of
Central Tibet has the throat fawn-coloured, and the whole of the under
parts blotched with chestnut. The habits are apparently somewhat similar to
those of the last genus. _Lerwa nivicola_, the "Snow-Partridge," ranging
from the Himalayas to Western China, has black upper parts with white
cross-bars, which become rufous buff on the mantle and wings; the under
surface is chestnut, with black and white markings only shewing towards the
belly. A pair of spurs distinguishes the cock from the hen. This species
inhabits broken grassy or heathery sides of mountains in the midst of snow,
up to an altitude of at least fourteen thousand feet; it is tamer than the
Snow-Pheasant, flies equally well, and nestles under jutting rocks. The
coveys feed on moss, seeds, and insects, and utter a short double
Grouse-like note or a harsh whistle.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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