184 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. ibOClETY, Vol. XXV. 



and lias the central tail feathers a darker chestnut than either 

 leucomelamis, or melanotus, and has the neck less grejdsh. 



Colours of soft parts. — The colours of the soft parts seem to be 

 nrnch the same as in the male. The iris is -usually dark brown, 

 and not red or hazel brown, the red facial skin is somewhat less 

 bright, and also less crimson than in the male, and there are of 

 course no lappels. 



Measurements.— Length about 20" to 22" ; wing from 8" (203-2 

 mm.) to 9" (228-6 mm.) ; tail from 7-5" (190-5 mm.) to 9" (228-6 

 mm.); tarsus about 2-9" (73-2 mm.); bill at front about 1-1" 

 (27-9 mm.), and from gape about 1*3" (33-0 mm.) ; the crest 

 varies between 2" (50-8 mm.) and 2-5" (65-5 mm.). 



Young Male resembles the female, but is generally much darker 

 in colour both above and below, has the white or buff borders of the 

 feathers in more striking contrast to the rest, and has the rectrices 

 more mottled. 



Young males assume a semi-adult plumage at the first autumn 

 moult ; the white barred rump is usually attained more or less 

 completely, though the greater part of the rest of the plumage 

 remains brown like the female. Others in addition to the white 

 rump become partially, or rarelj-, wholly black with a tinge of blue 

 sheen on the upper back, head, scapulars, wing-coverts and upper 

 breast. The wing quills and tail feathers nearly always remain 

 brownish and much mottled. 



After the spring moult is completed, the cocks have usually 

 assumed the full plumage, but even then sometimes have a brownish 

 look about both wing quills and tail-coverts, and it is not rare to 

 find a few brownish feathers remaining on flank, breast or back. 



Chick in clovm. — Head rich chestnut with faint central coronal 

 streak blackish ; a streak from behind the eye ver\- dark rich chest- 

 nut, below the streak paler chestnut and buff; median body stripe 

 rich dark brown, sides of body and under parts ashy ov ashj^ buff, with 

 chestnut band across breast, ill-defined and merging into the sur- 

 rounding colours. After a few days the wing feathers appear and 

 are vermiculated reddish and brown, the bastard wing and greater 

 coverts darker and edged with white so as to foi-m a broad white bar 

 across the whole wing ; lesser and median coverts rich deep chestnut. 



Distribution. — The Black-breasted Kalij is found over a larger 

 area than any other of the Kalij Pheasants. It extends from the 

 East of Bhutan throughout the whole of the Northern Districts of 

 Assam, and from the Garo Hills on the South of the Brahmapootra 

 throughout the Southern Districts of that Province, wandering as 

 far East as the Western bank of Irrawaddy. To the South it is 

 found throughout Cachar and Sylhet, South into Arrakan below 

 latitude 20'-'5 and as far East as the Northern Arrakan Yomas and 

 some way down the course of the Yaw River towards Pakokku. It 



