THE BLOOD-PHEASANTS. 



THE singular bird which is the sole 

 representative of the Blood-Pheasants in 

 India is found at high altitudes in the 

 Himalayas. 



In this group the sexes are very 

 differently coloured, but they both have 

 a thick crest of soft uniformly-narrow 

 feathers about an inch and a half in 

 length. This character, combined with 

 their size, which is that of a small fowl, 

 and their tail, which is of moderate size, 

 rounded and composed of 14 feathers, 

 should suffice to separate the Blood- 

 Pheasants from all other game birds. 



In the male the plumage is much 

 lanceolated, and there are generally two 

 spurs on each leg, occasionally as many 

 as four or five. The plumage of the 

 female is of the ordinary kind and the leg 

 is seldom furnished with a spur. 



In the Blood-Pheasants the first quill 

 of the wing is shorter than the tenth, 

 which is nearly equal to the second. 

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