43. PHASIDTTS. 373 



Capt. Rtiu-khouse I'in- 



will [P.]. 

 Gould CVill. 

 I'lircliased. 

 Zool. .Soc. Coll. 

 Purchased. 

 Zool. Soc. Coll. 



43. PHASIDUS. 



Type. 



Pliasidus, Qissin, P. Ac. rhilad. l8o(J, p. 322 P. niger. 



Head and neck naked, with the exception of a band of feathers 

 from the base of the bill to the occiput, and a few small scattered 

 plumes on the neck. 



Tail probably composed of 14 feathers, moderately long and 

 rounded. Upper tail-coverts about | the length of tail. 



let primary considerably shorter than the 2nd, which is about 

 equal to the 10th, the 4th slightly the longest. 



Tarsus somewhat longer than the middle toe and claw, provided 

 with a short blunt spur in the male. 



liancje. W. Africa, from Cape Lopez to Loango. 



1. Phasidus niger. 



Phasidus niger, Cass. P. Ac. Pkilad. 1856, p. 322 [Cape Lopez]; 

 Hart I. Oni. IV.-Afr. p. 268 (1857) ; Casn. Jouni. Ac. Philad. (2) 

 iv. p. 7, pi. 3 (1858) : Du Chuill. Expl. Equttt. Afr. p. 158 (1861 ) ; 

 id. Ihk, 1861, p. 303; Sclat. P. Z. S. 1863, p." 126 ; Gray, List 

 Gallince Brit. Mus. p. 45 (18G7) [Ogowe K.]; id. Hand-l. R. ii. 

 p. 2()3 (1870) ; Elliot, Man. Pha.-^. ii. pi. 36 (1872) ; Iteich.J.f. O. 

 1877, p. 13 [Loango Coast] ; liochvbr. Ad. iSuc. Linn. Bord. 

 xxxviii. p. 356, pi. xxii. (1884). 



Adult male. A band of black feathers from the base of the bill 

 to the occiput, rest of the head nalced ; chin and throat almost 

 naked, with a few small scattered black plumes ; nape and back of 

 the neck thiidy covered with feathers ; rest of the plumage blackish 

 brown, obscurely vormiculatcd with brown. Naked skin on the 

 head and neck Xaples-yellow, shading into orange-yellow on the 

 throat and lower parts of the neck : bill reddish brown ; legs 

 pinkish horn ; the tarsi are armed with a pair of short stout 

 spurs. Total length 16-6 inches, wing 8-8, tail 5-o *, tarsus 2"7. 



Adult fimule. Similar in plumage to the male, but without spurs. 



J/ab. Same as that of the genus. 



a, b. S ad. sk. Ogowe R., West Africa. M. Du Cbaillu [C.l. 



* Middle pairs of feathers wanting in botli specimens. Cassin gives the 

 length as 60. 



