416 PEDIGECETES PHASIANELLUS VAR COLUMBIANUS. 



the rump and lower back, where the blackish is mostly in sharp -angled 

 stars ; the reddish most conspicuons on the upper back, and both the 

 lighter colors everywhere finely sprinkled with blackish. Wing-coverts 

 like the upper back, but with numerous conspicuous rounded white 

 S])0ts, one on the end of each feather. Crown and back of neck nearly 

 like the back, but in smaller i)atteru, and the markings mostly trans- 

 verse. An illy-defined wLiite area on each side of the neck, over the 

 tymi)anum, and slight, whitish stripe behind the eye. Throat, fine light 

 bufl", usually immaculate, but sometimes finely speckled quite across. 

 Under parts white, more or less tiuted with buff toward the throat ; the 

 breast with numerous regular dark-brown U-shaped spots, one on each 

 feather; similar but smaller, sharper, and fewer such spots thence scat- 

 tered over most of the under parts, only the middle of the belly being 

 left unmarked. Long feathers of the sides under the wings matching 

 the upper wing-coverts nearly ; under wing-coverts and axillaries pure 

 white, not marked; flanks with bars or U-spots of dark brown. Legs 

 grayish-white, unmarked. Quills of the wings fuscous ; outer webs of 

 the secondaries with equidistant, squarish, white or tawny spots, the 

 secondaries tipped and imperfectly twice or thriced barred with white, 

 and gradually becoming sprinkled with the varied colors of the back, 

 so that the innermost of them are almost precisely like the greater 

 coverts. Four middle tail-feathers variegated, much like the back ; 

 others white, or grayish-white, on the inner web, the outer web being 

 mottled; a few under tail-coverts spotted, the rest white; upper tail- 

 coverts nearly like the rump. Iris, light brown; bill, dark horn-color; 

 part of under mandible, flesh-colored ; claws, like the bill ; toes on top, 

 light horn-color, the soles darker. 



As already intimated, this rich plumage of the fall and winter differs 

 a good deal from that of the breeding season. In summer there is 

 much less of the rusty tinges, the colors being nearly blackish, gray, 

 and white. The throat is more nearly white and speckled. I have shot 

 (September) birds moulting in which the old feathers of the throat were 

 of this character, mixed with new ones of a rich, pure buff. There are 

 other characters; the bare stripe over the eye is more conspicuous, more 

 pimply, and more brightly colored. The legs are very much less heavily 

 clothed ; in fact, scarcely more feathered than those of the Pinnated 

 Grouse. The tail of this bird is among its peculiarities, and has occa- 

 sioned comment. The long central pair of feathers appear to belong to 

 the coverts, as stated in my work, p. 233, from examination of dried 

 skins alone; but this is not so. They are true tail-feathers, implanted 

 fairly in line with the others, as any one can satisfy himself on examin- 

 ation of a fresh-killed bird; the longest coverts belong to a different 

 set, as shown by their site as well as form. It is not easy to describe 

 the sha2)e of the tail-feathers, since they are continually changing their 

 form by wearing away in rubbing against each other. Before the Septem- 

 ber moult, these feathers in the young-of the-year are rather short and 

 indeterminate in shape, and they are all shed nearly simultaneously; I 

 have shot birds without any tail at all. The new ones are generally as 

 above described, but constantly wear; by June following they often be- 

 come mere shafts with ragged edges. The decided tympanum that this 

 species possess has not received sufficient attention. In both sexes 

 during winter, and in the female at all times, it is not conspicuous, but 

 daring the breeding season becomes mu(!h enlarged in the cock, and 

 susceptible of very considerable distension. Thus, it shows plainly in a 

 poorly-proi)ared dried skin now before me. In investigating the nature 

 of these air-sacs I was unable, after several trials, to find any direct 



