20O GALLIFORMES chap. 



and Crossoptilon. Excaljyhatoria is remarkable for possessing only 

 eight rectrices ; ten are found in Microperdix, and occasionally in 

 Synoecus and Coturnix ; but the usual number is from twelve to 

 twenty-four, while Zohiophasis has thirty-two in the male and 

 twenty-eight in the female. The nostrils are concealed by the 

 feathering in the Tetraoninae alone, the aftershaft is large 

 except in Favo, the furcula is Y-shaped, the tongue sagittate, the 

 syrinx tracheo-bronchial. The globular crop and muscular gizzard 

 are decidedly characteristic, yet Argusiamis has been said to lack 

 the former, and Centrocerms the latter. In the male of Tetrao vro- 

 gallus and both sexes of Guttera the trachea has a loop, which in 

 the latter case passes through a cavity in the head of the furcula. 

 The plumage is of the most varied description, the winter coat 

 of Lagopus being commonly white, the males of Lyrurus, Tetrao, 

 and Melanoperdix nearly black, while the prevailing colours in 

 ChrysoIo2:>7i7is pictus are orange and red, in Gennaeus nycthcmerus 

 black and white, in Rollulus dull green and maroon, in Gcdlus 

 orange, red, purple, green, black, and white, in Fhasianus metallic 

 green, orange, and brown. In the JVumidinae white or bluish 

 spots mark the blackish ground-colour ; in the American Grouse 

 black, brown, yellowish-buff and white occur in varying propor- 

 tions ; wdiile the Partridges and Quails exhibit, as a rule, still more ||({{( 

 sober tints of brown, relieved by dull red or buff. Peacocks, 

 again, show a combination of beautiful metallic blues and greens 

 with copper and buff, rarely found elsewhere in the Family ; nor 

 must Lophophor^is, Lopliura, Lohiophasis, and Ceriornis be left 

 out of consideration. The ocelli or " eyes " on the Peacock's train i ]! 

 hardly require mention ; Folyplectron has similar adornments on i 



both the tail and the upper parts in the male, on the tail alone in .^ 



the female ; Argusiamis on the secondaries and rectrices in the 

 male, Mdeagris occUata on the latter in both sexes. The feathers 

 of the crown are curled in Crossoptilon, Favo, and Lop]iopli07'us 

 sclateri, and fine crests are by no means uncommon ; the component 

 plumes being more or less racquet - shaped in Lopliura and 

 Lophortyx, and in Favo cristatus consisting of webs at the end 

 of bare shafts. The crests of Chrysolop>Jius and Gennaeus are 

 recumbent, those of Rollulus and Bheinardtius upright ; while, 

 among others, the full head-tufts of Ithagenes and most species of 

 Lopliophorus, with the comparatively short ornaments of Haema- 

 tortyx, Ceriornis, and Callipepla are worth notice. Crossoptilon, 



