Moonal-Pheasants. 265 



or large tree, or near bushes, tufts of grass 

 and fern. The nest is frequently the bare 

 ground, but at times it is composed of a 

 little dry grass or a few dead leaves. The 

 eggs vary in number from four to six or 

 even eight, and are oval in shape. The 

 ground-colour is buffy white and the 

 whole egg is generally thickly covered 

 with reddish brown freckles and spots. 

 They measure from 2 "41 to 2*69 in length 

 and from 17 to 1*89 in breadth. 



The male has the crest and the head 

 bright metallic green ; the back of the 

 neck bright metallic coppery red. The 

 mantle is bronze-green. The upper back, 

 the greater portion of the visible parts of 

 the closed wings, the rump and the shorter 

 tail-coverts are metallic purple. The back 

 is white. The longer tail-coverts are 

 metallic green ; the tail is entirely chest- 

 nut. The whole lower plumage is plain 

 black, with here and there a very slight 

 metallic gloss. 



In the female, the crown and sides of 

 the head, the sides and back of the neck, 

 the mantle, the upper back and the visible 

 portions of the closed wings are blackish, 

 each feather with an irregular rufous shaft- 

 streak and some rufous lines following the 

 contour of the margin. The rump is 



