THE GAME BIRI)^ OF INDIA. 16 



" hardpressed, it ran into the jungle. The Fire-Back did not 

 " attempt to follow, but took up a position in the middle of 

 " the clearing, and recommenced the whirring noise with his 

 '• wings, evidently as a challenge, whereupon the Argus slowly 

 " returned, but the moment it got within the cleared space, 

 "the Fire-Back chai-ged it, and drove it back into the jungle, 

 " and then, as before, took up his position in the middle of 

 " the space and repeated the challenge, 'J'he Argus imme- 

 " diately returned, but only to be again driven back, and this 

 " continued at least a dozen times, and how much longer it 

 " would have continued I cannot say, but a movement on my 

 "part attracting the birds' attention, they caught sight of me, 

 "and instantly before I could fire, disappeared into the jungle. 

 " The Argus never made the slightest attempt to attack the 

 " Fire-Back, but retreated at once on the slightest movement 

 " of the latter towards it, nor did I see the Fire-Back strike 

 'the Argus with either bill, wings, or spars." 



LOPHURA DIARDI. 



The Siam Fire-Bach. 



Euplocamus diardi, Bonap. Comp., Rend., xi., iii.. p. 415 (1856), ox. 

 Temm., M. S. 



Dlanlv/alUia praelatus, Bonap., Comp. Rend., xi., iii., p. 415 (1856) ; 

 Schl., Hand-L.d., Dierk, i., p. 379, Atlas Aves, pi. v., fig. 55 (1857) ; Gould, 

 B. of A., vii., p. 21 (1860). 



Jjiardir/aUua fa%ciolatu>' , Blyth , J.A.S.B., xxvii., p. 280 (1858). 



Euplocamus pi aeldt us, Sclater, List. Bhas., p. 6, pi. 6 (1863) (Siam, Shan 

 States) ; Schomb. Ibis, 1864, p. 259 (E. Lao Country) ; Sclater and Wolf, 

 Zool. Sketches, (2) pi. 35, (1867); Elliott, Man. Bhas., ii., p. 24 (1872). 



lophura diardi, Ogilvis-Grant, Cat. B. M., xxii., p. 290 (1898); id, 

 Hand-L., Game-B., i., p. 247 (1895) ; Gyldanstolpe, Kungl. Svensk, 

 Hand-L. 50, No. 8, p. 67 (i913) ; id. Journ. N. H. Soc, Siam, i., Mo. 4 

 p. 235 (North Siam). 



Vernacular Names. — Kai-pha (^Siamese)', Kai-fan — (Laos). 



Description. — Adult .1/aZp.— Crown from forehead to nape, fides of 

 the head behind and over the ears, chin, throat and crest black ; the 

 crest glossed with purple-blue ; the feathers of the chin, throat and 

 foreneck, especially the latter, are very scanty, the fleshy red skin 

 showing through ; back and upper breast very finel}'- vermiculated 

 grey and black, the general effect being a rather dark grey; lower 

 back like the back, but each feather with a broad terminal bar of 

 gold, thi? bar of colour concealing the grey bases ; rump and iipper 

 tail-coverts, with the exception of a few of the longest, rich metallic 

 blue-black, each feather fringed with d^ep copper-crimson ; longest 

 tail- coverts black with a copper sheen and edges of metallic green. 

 Tail black completely glossed with greenish blue, more distinctly 

 blue on the outer than the inner webs. 



