THE GAME BIRDS OF IXDIA. 177 



mm.); average of fortv birds, 11-2" (284*4 mm.); tarsus 3"1" 

 to 3-3" (78-7 to 83-S "mm.); spur about -75" (IG-D mm.); bill 

 at front 1-20" (30-5 mm.) ami from gape 1-35" (34-2 mm.); 

 ei-est up to 3" (7G-2 mm.) ; generally about 2V' (03-5 mm.). 



Advlt Female. — Only cUfllers trom the female of lencomelanus, 

 in having the nape a less bright chestnut than the crest and upper 

 l)ack, so that when the crest lies down it shews quite plainly against 

 it. On the whole it is like leucomeUmns perhaps, darker than 

 albocrisiaiutf, and has the tail feathers more chestnut. 

 Col-otirs of the soft jjaris as in lencomelanus. 

 Measurements — 



"Length 18-0 to 21-0; expanse 25-0 to 27-0. Weight 

 " 1-1 b. 14-ozs. to 2-lbs. 4-ozs."' (Hume). 

 Wing 7-7" to 8-8" (195-5 to 223-5 mm.); tail 7-9" to 9-2" 

 (200-G to 233-6 mm.); tarsus 2-7" to 2-9" (G8-5 to 73-6 mm.); 

 bill at front about 1-15" (29-2 mm.), and from gape aboiit 1-25" 

 (31-7 mm.) The crest is roughh'- about 2" (50-8 mm.), and 

 rather scanty. 



Yoxu'i Male in p'rst plnmarie resembles the female, but is gene- 

 rally darker beloAv. 



A young bird of a few months old — probably about three — has the 

 greater and median wing-coverts reddish brown with fine bars of 

 black vermiculation, a broad bar of black near the tip, then" a bar of 

 chestnut with one fine bar of black on it, and finally a white tip ; a 

 few feathers of the back and scapulars have bold black bars ; the 

 rest of the plumage is that of a very dull adult female. 



Distribution. — From the extreme West of Sikkim and over the 

 greater part of Western Bhutan. Its exact boundaries both East 

 and West have not hitherto been defined. To the West the Arun 

 River in Nepal is prohablii its Westei'n boundary, for. as already 

 recorded, some birds sent me from a small Easterv tributarv of this 

 stream were all of this species. At the same time exact data of 

 native-collected specimens are always to be regarded with caution. 

 In this instance they are probably correct, as they were alleged to 

 have been trapped within a short distance of the village to Avhich 

 the Xepalese belonged. The birds found in the hills North of 

 Jalpaigiu'i are all tjpical melanonotas, but North of C^oalpara one 

 gets into the range of horsjfeldi, though birds of this district often 

 shew traces of white on the breast, as is, however, the case through- 

 out the whole of the range of typical horsfleldi. These are the birds 

 named mearsi bv Oates. the tvpe of which was killed at Nanywa, 

 Chin Hills. 



Nidification. — The Black-backed Kalij breeds from late in March 



up to the end of June, but eggs may also be taken a good deal 



earlier than this, and also later. In the lower elevations at which 



these Pheasants bred, say from 1,500 to 3,000 feet, March and 



3 



