PHEASANT. 



103 



In the adult male the beak is of a whitish horn colour, 

 rather darker at the base ; the eyes surrounded with a naked 

 skin of a bright scarlet colour, speckled with a bluish-black ; 

 the irides hazel ; the head, and the neck all round, steel-blue, 

 reflecting brown, green, and purple, in different lights ; ear- 

 coverts dark brown ; feathers of the upper part of the back 

 orange-red, tipped with velvet-black ; back and scapulars 

 orange-red, the centre of each feather dark brown, with an 



outer band of straw-yellow ; saddle hackle feathers, rump, 

 and upper tail-coverts, light brownish-red ; wing-coverts of 

 two shades of red ; quill-feathers dull greyish-brown, varied 

 with pale wood-brown ; tail-feathers very long, pale yellow- 

 brown, with narrow transverse black bars about one inch 

 apart ; breast and belly golden red ; each feather margined 

 with velvet-black, and reflecting tints of gold and purple ; 

 lower part of the belly, vent, and under tail-coverts, brownish- 



