88 PHEASANT SHOOTING. 



pale horn colour; the nostrils are hid under an 

 arched covering; eyes yellow, and surrounded by a 

 space, in appearance like scarlet cloth finely spotted 

 with black; immediately under each eye is a small 

 patch of short feathers, of a dark spotted glossy 

 purple ; the upper parts of the head and neck are 

 deep purple, varying to glossy green and blue ; lower 

 parts of the neck and the breast reddish chesnut, with 

 black indented edges; the sides and lower parts of 

 the breast the same, with pretty large tips of black 

 to each feather, which, in different lights, vary to a 

 glossy purple; the belly and vent are dusky; back 

 and scapulus beautifully variegated with black and 

 white, or cream colour, speckled with black, and 

 mixed with deep orange ; all the feathers edged with 

 black; on the lower part of the back is a mixture of 

 green ; the quills are dusky, freckled with white ; 

 wing coverts brown, glossed with green, and edged 

 with white ; rump plain reddish brown ; the two 

 middle feathers of the tail are about twenty inches 

 long, the shortest on each side less than five, of a 

 reddish brown, marked with transverse lines of black ; 

 legs dusky, with a short blunt spur on each, but in 

 some old birds the spurs are as sharp as needles ; 

 between the toes there is a sharp membrane. The 

 female is less, and does not exhibit that variety and 

 brilliancy of plumage which distinguish the male : 

 the general colours are light and dark brown, mixed 

 with black ; the breast and belly finely freckled with 

 small black spots on a light ground ; the tail is short, 



