THE CRESTED FIRE-BACKED PHEASAN'JS. 247 



Adult Male.— Differs chiefly from the male of L. rufa in 

 having the loiver breast and upper belly fiery bronzy-gold, and 

 the middle pairs of tail-feathers buff. Total length, 23 inches ; 

 wing, 10-5 ; tail, 8-4 ; tarsus, 4-4. 



Adult Female. — Differs from the female of L. rufa in having 

 the ground-colour of the upper-parts darker chestnut than the 

 neck, and the tail black. Total length, 22 inches ; wing, 9*8; 

 tail, 7*6 ; tarsus, y6. 



Range. — Forests of Borneo. 



Habits. — This splendid Fire-Back is a bird of the low country, 

 but nothing further has been recorded of its habits, though 

 there is no reason to believe that they differ from those of its 

 Malayan ally L. rufa. It is known in Sarawak by the native 

 name of " Sempidan." 



Note. — In the National Collection there is a skin of a male example of 

 a Lophura which was sent by Mr. J. R. Reeves from China, and has evi- 

 dently been in captivity, some of the flight-feathers of both wings having 

 been cut, and a second perfectly similar example of this bird was recently 

 seen living in the aviary of the late Capt. E. W. Marshall at Marlow. Mr. 

 D. G. Elliot is of opinion that the former specimen is a hybrid between 

 Lophura rufa and L. ignita, but I can see no reason for this conjecture, and 

 should not be surprised if it were to prove to be a species distinct from either 

 of the species mentioned. The bird in the National Collection resembles 

 the male of L. ignita, but is distinguished by having the feathers down the 

 middle of the breast and abdomen entirely black, those on the sides mar- 

 gined and largely mixed with black, only the middle part of some of them 

 being rufous-chestnut, and the middle pair of tail-feathers white. 



III. DIARD'S CRESTED FIRE-BACK. LOPHURA DIARDI. 



Euplocomus dtardi, Bonap. C. R. xliii. p. 415 (1856; ex 



Temminck MS.). 

 Diardigallus prcelatus, Bonap. C R. xliii. p. 415 (1856); 



Gould, B. Asia, vii. pi. 21 [male only] (i860). 

 Diardigallus fasciolatus, Blyth, J. As. Soc. Beng. xxvii. p. 280 



(1858). 



Euplocomus prailatus, Sclater, List of Phas. p. 6, pi. 6 (1863) ; 

 id. and Wolf, Zool. Sketches (2), pi. 35 (1867); Elliot, 

 Monogr. Phasian. ii. pi. 24 (1872). 



