270 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 



green, becoming narrow behind, but widening in front, 

 and filling up a kind of notch that occurs in the blue ; 

 then comes a broad brownish band ; and lastly a narrow 

 black ring, edged with chestnut, all beautifully metallic, 

 or rather presenting the hues of various precious stones, 

 when viewed in certain lights. The bill, which is of a 

 grayish horn-colour, is rather longer and slenderer than 

 in the common species ; the iris is deep hazel ; the legs 

 are strong, naked, reticulated, and of a dusky black ; 

 and the spurs, which are extremely large on one of the 

 specimens in the Museum, are of the same hue. 



On the other specimen, in which the long coverts 

 and the tail-feathers are not developed, the spurs are 

 much shorter and less robust. It is probably a young- 

 male, and is altogether a much less splendid bird. The 

 plumes of the crest are but little barbed at the base, 

 and consequently appear club-shaped towards the tip ; 

 the back is dusky chestnut with lighter transverse 

 waves ; and the primary quill-feathers are similarly 

 coloured, as are also the tail-coverts, but with the waves 

 more conspicuous and almost white. Of the two speci- 

 mens at the Gardens one nearly agrees with the bird 

 last described, but is probably still younger, being less 

 brilliant and not having yet attained its spurs ; the 

 other is a variety analogous to the pied individuals that 

 sometimes occur in the common species. 



Linnaeus, taking Aldrovandus for his guide, named 

 this species niuticus, from an erroneous idea that it 

 was destitute of spurs ; but this assumption being now 

 proved to be unfounded, we have adopted Dr. Hors- 

 field's name of Javanicus, which is prior to that of 

 spiciferus, applied to it by M. Vieillot. We have no 

 particulars of the habits of these birds in their native 

 state ; but there can be no doubt that they are identical 

 with those of the other species, as there seems to be but 

 little difference between their manners in captivity. 



