260 Manual of the Game Birds of India. 



hidden from sight by the closed wings 

 and the scapular feathers, and that it is 

 a matter of some difficulty to catch a 

 glimpse of any portion of the white on 

 the back, even though the wings be 

 pulled apart, I think it therefore highly 

 probable that both Latham and his artist 

 failed to see any trace of white on the 

 back of the bird, and they concluded that 

 the back was black, like the rump. 



There is, however, positive evidence that 

 Latham's bird was the Common, and not 

 the Bronze-backed, Moonal. Referring to 

 a part of the plumage about which there 

 could be no possibility of concealment nor 

 any ground for error, Latham distinctly 

 says, " the under parts of the body, from 

 chin to vent, are dull black, with here and 

 there a greenish gloss." This description 

 applies exactly to the lower plumage of 

 the Common, and not to that of the 

 Bronze-backed, Moonal, in which the 

 whole lower plumage, so far from being 

 a dull black, is resplendent with blue, 

 purple and green reflexions. 



Then we have Latham stating that he 

 has seen other male specimens of the 

 same species in the Leverian museum, 

 and he also describes the female. It 

 is quite incredible, therefore, that he 



