THE CRESTLESS FIRE-BACKED PHEASANTS. 241 



First flight-feather considerably shorter than the secoiul, 

 which is about equal to the tenth ; sixth rather the longest. 



No crest in either sex. 



A large naked red patch on each side of the head. 



Feet, in both sexes, armed with a stout pair of spurs. Female 

 black.* 



I. THE MALAYAN CRESTLESS FIRE-BACK. ACOMUS 

 ERYTHROPHTHALMUS. 



Phasiimns erythrophthalmus^ Raffles, Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 321 



(1822). 

 Phasia?ius piirpureus, J. E. Gray, 111. Ind. Zool. i. pi. 42 



(1830-32) [female]. 

 Euplocamiis erythrophthalnius, Sclater, in Wolfs Zool. Sketches 



(2), pi. 34 (1861); Sclater, List of Phasian. p. 7, pi. 8 



(1863) ; Elliot, Monogr. Phasian. ii. pi. 28 (1872). 

 Acomus erytlirophthabnuSy Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. 



xxii. p. 283 (1893). 

 Adult Male — General colour of plumage black, glossed with 

 purplish and steel-blue, and finely mottled with white ; lower 

 back fiery bronzy-gold, shading into bronzy-red on the rump ; 

 sides finely mottled with white ; tail pale rufous-buff. Total 

 length, 20 inches; wing, 9-5 ; tail, 6*4; tarsus, 3. 



Adult Female. — Plumage entirely black, glo.ssed with purplish 

 or steel-blue. Total length, 18-5 inches ; wing, 8-4 ; tail, 5*4 ; 

 tarsus, 2*8. 



Range. — Southern part of the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. 

 Has been recorded from Java, but probably in error. 



Habits — Practically nothing has been recorded about the 

 habits of this bird, and the only examples obtained are those 

 snared by natives. It is only known that the Malayan Crest- 

 less Fire-Back frequents the dense damp forests, and we may 

 fairly assume that its habits are much like those of its ally the 

 Crested Fire-Back, described below. 



* The female of A. inornatns is still unknown. 



