VIEILLOT'S FIREBACK PHEASANT. 321 



mandible is dark horny brown, the lower horny white ; irides clear pale 

 red ; facial skin smalt-blue, bright in the male, rather duller in the female. 

 (Davison.) 



Male : Length 28 inches, tail 10, wing 12, tarsus 4'3, bill from gape 

 1-7. The female : length 23 inches, tail 7'5, wing 10, tarsus 3'5, bill from 

 gape 1 6. 



Vieillot's Fireback Pheasant occurs in the south of Tenasserim, about 

 as far as the town of that name, and not further north. 



It extends down the Malay peninsula, and is probably found in the 

 island of Sumatra. 



Mr. Davison observes : " These birds frequent the thick evergreen 

 forests in small parties of five or six : usually there is only one male in 

 the party, the rest being females ; but on one or two occasions I have seen 

 two males together ; sometimes the males are found quite alone. I have 

 never heard the males crow, nor do I think that they ever do so ; when 

 alarmed both males and females have a peculiar sharp note, exceedingly 

 like that of the large Black-backed Squirrel (Sciurus bicolor) . The males 

 also continually make a whirring sound with their wings, which can be 

 well imitated by twirling rapidly between the hands a small stick, in the 

 cleft of which a piece of stiff cloth has been transversely placed. I have 

 often discovered the whereabouts of a flock by hearing this noise. They 

 never come into the open, but confine themselves to the forest, feeding on 

 berries, tender leaves, and insects and grubs of all kinds ; and they are 

 very fond of scratching about, after the manner of domestic poultry, and 

 dusting themselves. When disturbed they run rapidly away, not in 

 different directions, but all keeping much together; they rise at once 

 before a dog, getting up with a great flutter, but when once well on the wing 

 fly with a strong and rapid flight ; they seldom alight again under a couple 

 of hundred yards, and usually on the ground, when they immediately start 

 running." 



E. Ignitus from Borneo is an allied species, differing in having the sides 

 of the body pale chestnut marked with black. E. prcslatus from Siam 

 and Cochin China has a considerable portion of the plumage of a remark- 

 able ash-colour or bluish grey, and the feathers of the rump are black 

 margined with crimson. It is extremely likely to occur in the hill-ranges 

 of North-eastern Burmali; for it has been procured in the Shan States. 



E. erythrophthalmus, from the Malay peninsula, may extend up to Tenas- 

 serim. The male has the plumage black, with the rump red and the tail 

 rich buff ; the female is remarkable for possessing long spurs (like the male), 

 and the whole plumage is more or less dark green. 



VOL. II. 



