DIARD'S PHEASANT. 201 



shining lustre. The feathers of the back and scapu- 

 lars have small yellowish white bands upon a ground 

 of rich metallic green, glossed with purple and vio- 

 let, and surrounded with a border of golden yellow. 

 The lower part of the back and rump are grey, 

 clouded with green. The tail coverts blue or green, 

 according as the light falls upon them. The feathers 

 of the tail are of a greyish green, the lateral ones 

 thickly mottled with very small spots ; the four cen- 

 tre ones crossed with bars, largest and broadest to- 

 wards the base. The edges of these feathers are 

 long and disunited, and have on each side one of 

 a greyish purple, almost like a fringe. The feet and 

 legs are reddish. The total length of the bird is 

 about three feet seven or eight inches. 



The female, Plate XV., about sixteen or seventeen 

 inches in length, M. Temminck observes, so closely re- 

 sembles the common hen pheasant, as scarcely to be 

 .istinguished from her, except by the less size, and the 

 iroportional length of the tail. The upper parts, how- 

 ever, have generally a greener tint, and are of a metal- 

 lic lustre, and the lower parts have a much greater 

 number of black spots and markings. We have given 

 a representation of the female of this bird, with the 

 view of exhibiting the differences of sex among the 

 pheasants ; among all, even the most splendid, 

 the plumage is of a shade of yellowish brown ; the 

 feathers, to a certain extent, following the form of 

 those of the male, and generally barred with black 

 about the tips. 



BtJII 



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