314 BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 



central feathers of which measure upwards of four feet in length, and by 

 the immense development of the tertiary feathers of the wing, which 

 exceed the primaries in length by more than one foot. 



The female differs from the male not only in being of comparatively dull 

 plumage, but in wanting the lengthened tail-feathers and tertiaries. Like 

 the male, however, she has the chin and throat, the sides of the head and 

 the front of the neck naked. With birds so easily recognized, it seems 

 quite unnecessary to give even a short description of the plumage. 



The male has the legs and feet bright red, sometimes even vermilion- 

 red ; the female has them of a paler and duller red, sometimes a litharge- 

 red ; the bill and claws are white, slightly tinged with blue ; the cere in the 

 male the same colour as the bill, in the female pale brown ; irides wood- 

 brown to dark brown ; the facial skin dull pale indigo to dark plumbeous 

 blue. (Davison.) 



Male : length about 70 inches, tail about 50, wing to end of primaries 

 18, tarsus 4*7, bill from gape up to 2. Female : length about 30, tail 12, 

 wing 12, tarsus 3'6, bill from gape up to 1*7. 



The Argus Pheasant occurs in the extreme south of Tenasserim, where 

 Mr. Davison observed it in the forests about Malewoon and Bankasoon and 

 about the higher portions of the Pakchan. 



It extends down the Malay peninsula, and is found in Sumatra ; and it 

 is also said to occur in Siam. 



I gather the following from the interesting account of these birds given 

 by Mr. Davison, probably the only European who has observed them in 

 a state of nature. They are confined entirely to the evergreen forests. 

 Both the males and females live quite solitarily ; and even at the breeding- 

 season the two sexes are not usually found together. The males have a 

 peculiar habit of selecting a piece of ground some six or eight yards square, 

 thoroughly cleaning it from all vegetation and rubbish, and taking up 

 their quarters on it during the day, leaving it only in the mornings and 

 evenings to search for food. On this ground they probably dance and 

 strut. Their food consists of fallen fruit, ants, slugs and insects of various 

 kinds. The female is said to have no regular breeding-season, but to lay 

 at all times except in the depth of the rains. The call of both sexes is 

 very loud, and can be heard an immense distance. 



