IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 427 



the bill is very strong with the general characters of that of 

 Lopkophorus, the tomial edge of the upper mandible being even 

 more scarped, and furnished with a small tooth-like festoon ; 

 its base is nude ; the head and throat are clad iu feathers and 

 simple, but the entire cheeks, from nostril to occiput, are void 

 of plumes, being occupied by the typical red and papillated 

 skin of the Pheasant tribe, and in all that extent of development, 

 which more especially characterises the Indian Kaliches {leu- 

 C07nela?ius), and the painted and Amherstian species of China. 

 Like the true Pheasant (colchicus) , our bird has no crest of auy 

 kind, though the feathers occupying the top of the head are of 

 a peculiar kind, being short, velvet}', thick set, erect, with their 

 slightly discomposed and square points recurved a little to the 

 front. 



" The wings have no peculiarity ; they are short, stiff, bowed, 

 and rounded as usual, the sixth feather being the longest. The 

 very ample tail is most remarkable for the breadth of the 

 plumes. Its length is moderate, nor is there any of the extra 

 elongation and narrowing of the central feathers which charac- 

 terise the tropical Pheasants. There are 18 caudal plumes, re- 

 gularly and considerbly gradated throughout, and the general 

 form of the tail is broadly convex, without any symptom of the 

 Galline compression and curve : the legs and feet are well 

 adapted for rapid movement on the ground, and have a form 

 and proportion very similar to those of leucomelanus and * 

 satyrus ; the tarsi are nude, and biscaled before the hind, but 

 the hinder scales are smaller than the fore ones ; the sides of 

 the tarsi are papillo-reticulate; the spur is sharp and curved ; 

 the lateral toes are equal, the central long, and the hind short 

 and raised, as usual ; the nails are long, and possess but little curve. 



"It remains only to notice the plumage of the bird, which 

 constitutes indeed its most remarkable feature. The plumage, 

 then, upon the whole body is very ample, but not at all poiuted, 

 unglossed, and wholly dishevelled, so as to remind one of the 

 Struthious family. 



" It is distinguished amongst all its congeners by its ample 

 fringe-like plumage, the dishevelled quality of which is communi- 

 cated even to the central tail-feathers, the very broad and equal 

 webs of which are quite separated, and curve outwards the sides, 

 besides being adorned by a fine gloss. 



ei The geueral colour of our bird is bluish-hoary, paler and 

 tinted yellow on the lower surface ; crown of the head black and 

 velvety ; great alar and caudal plumes dusky or black, more or 

 less glossed with changeable blue, especially the tail-feathers; 

 legs and cheek-pieces intense sanguine ; bill dull ochreous red ; 

 iris brown." — Hodgson, J. A. S.B. 



