70 ALLENS NATURALISTS LIBRARY. 



Argusianns, Rafinesque, Analyse, p. 219 (1815). 

 Type, A. argus (Linn.). 



Tail composed of twelve feathers \ the middle pair enor- 

 mously elongate (in the male), and more than four times as 

 long as the outer pair. 



First primary flight-feather shortest, the tenth longest ; 

 secondary quills enormously developed, much longer than 

 the primaries, the eighth and ninth being nearly twice as long 

 as the first. 



Sides of the face, throat, and fore-pai t of neck naked. 



Tarsus much longer than the middle toe and claw. 



I. THE ARGUS PHEASANT. ARGUSIANUS ARGU3. 



Fhastaftiis argus, Linn. S. N. i. p. 272 (1766). 

 Argus giganteus, Temm. Pig. et Gall. ii. p. 410 (1S13), iii. p. 

 678 (1815) ; Jardine and Selby, 111. Orn. n. s. pis. 14 and 

 15 (1837); EUiot, Monogr. Phasian. i. pi. 11 (1S72); Hume 

 and ALirshall, Game Birds Lid. i. p. 99, pi. (1878) ; Sclater, 

 P. Z. S. 1879, p. 115, pis. vii. and viii. fig. i. 

 Argus pavo}i:uus,]. E. Gray, LI. Lid. Zool. i. pi. 36 (103^-32). 

 Argusiamis argus, Gould, B. Asia, vii. pi. 52 (1883): Ogiivic- 

 Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxii. p. ^Gt, (1893). 

 [ric:c XXIX.) 

 Adult Male. — A short black crest ; general colour above black, 

 chequered and mottled 7i'ith buff and rufous ; lower back and 

 rump huff, with rounded black spots; long middle tail-feathers 

 whitish-buff with kidney-shaped black spots and blotches ; 

 primary quills beautifully patterned, and ornamented with 

 close-set rows of black and rufous spots ; a rufous-brown band, 

 finely dotted with white, on the basal part of the inner web 

 only, divided from the dull-blue shaft by a yellow line regu- 

 larly barred with black ; secondary quills equally wonderful in 

 their markings, and having the outer webs decorated with a row 

 of large ocelli, gradually increasing in size towards the extremity 



