204 THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA. 



slight basket has been made out of strips of slender bamboo. 

 The basket is in the shape of a Florence flask, but the neck 

 portion, instead of being round, is spread out into a wide fan, 

 so as to support the tail. 



Over this basket-work the skin has been neatly pulled. 

 No other stuffing has been used, and the consequence is that, 

 for its size, the specimen is about the lightest I ever saw. 



Looking through my former description, I find that I have 

 omitted one important point, and that is, that the basal portions 

 of the tail feathers (completely hidden by the upper and 

 under tail-coverts) are black, with a few imperfect narrow 

 white bars. 



The dimensions of this specimen do not differ materially 

 from those given in the " Game Birds" by me, but there is a 

 strong spur, 0-61 in length, on each leg. 



A female of this species has at last been obtained from the 

 Mishmis, who brought it down to Sadiya, and a description and 

 plate ot it has been given in the P. Z. S. 



The female differs from that of the common Moonal in 

 having the ground colour of the whole lower back, rump, and 

 upper tail-coverts creamy, profusely variegated with dark brown, 

 and in having the tail feathers (which are black) broadly 

 tipped with this same creamy colour, and crossed higher up 

 with numerous narrow transverse zig-zaggy bars of the same 

 colour. 



The general style of coloration, too, is much more uniform, 

 and the bird is smaller. The following is the published descrip- 

 tion of this female :— 



" Description. — Head and (upper) back very rich dark umber- 

 brown, each feather of the former with a V-shaped pale ochre 

 mark ; each of the latter has a centre line of a richer brown, 

 finely mottled towards the margins ; a broad extent of the 

 rump and upper tail-coverts are pale ochraceous white, very 

 finely and delicately mottled with dark brown ; tail above 

 rich black, with six or seven narrow whitish bars, and tipped 

 with the same (the counter colouring of the male) ; 

 shoulder of wing very rich dark chestnut brown ; the shafts pale 

 ochraceous; primaries rich dark umber; secondaries slightly 

 mottled with brown ; cheeks and throat dark umber, markings 

 like those on the head; chin white; breast, abdomen, and 

 thio-hs dull umber, most delicately and finely mottled with 

 pale ochre ; underside of tail black, with narrow white bars ; 

 the legs appear to have been of a pale grey, and the bill 

 whitish. " 



"Wing, 11-5 ; tail, about 8 ; tarsus, 3 ; bill at front, 1*75. " 

 I have not as yet, myself, seen a female. 



