120 PHASIANUS COLCHICUS. 



soft and rather short. There is the same tuft of small feathers 

 over the ear. The wings and tail are precisely similar, even 

 to the concavity of the extremities of the longer feathers of the 

 latter. 



The bill is horn-colour, or greyish-yellow, tinged with green ; 

 the nasal operculum flesh-colour. The iris is yellow, and the 

 bare papillar space about the eye crimson. 



The upper part of the head is brownish-green, the forehead, 

 sides, and tuft, deep green. The upper part of the neck is deep 

 blue, glossed with purple and green, the latter predominating 

 behind. At the lower edge of this dark-coloured part is a 

 white band, extending along two-thirds of the circumference 

 of the neck, narrow behind, broader at the two anterior extre- 

 mities. This band is composed of white tips only. The rest of 

 the fore part of the neck is of a rich coppery tint, glossed w4th 

 purple in some lights, fading below into brownish-yellow, of 

 wdiich colour also are the sides. On the neck and breast each 

 feather has a terminal margin of purplish-blue, which in some 

 lights is black. This margin is distinctly indented, but the 

 emargination gradually disappears on the lower feathers. The 

 middle and lower part of the breast is blackish-brown, glossed 

 wdth green. The fore part of the back is yellowish-red, each 

 feather slightly margined with black, and having a central ob- 

 long spot of the same. The scapulars are redder, with a slight 

 black tip, the central part dull yellow mottled with dusky, and 

 margined with a black band. The hind part of the back is 

 confusedly variegated with yellowish-red and green. The fea- 

 thers of the rump are of a deep red at the ends, variegated with 

 green tints. The tail-feathers have the shaft dusky, the cen- 

 tral part dull greenish-yellow, with transverse black bars, ex- 

 terior to which is a broad longitudinal band of dull red, then 

 the broad loose margin glossed with green and purple. The 

 lateral feathers are gradually more mottled with black. The 

 upper wing-coverts are dull yellow, the inner edged with dull 

 red ; the quills wood-brown tinged with grey, barred with 

 greyish-yellow ; their coverts similar. 



The oesophagus is 9 inches long. The crojD commences at 

 4 inches from the top. The stomach is 2i inches long. The 



