THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA. 389 



Females — 



A. — Feathers of face and sides of head light 

 ochre brown, contrasting with grey 

 crown. 



a. General plumage rufous brown. I. cruentus. 

 h. General plumage brown ... /. htscri. 



B. — Feathers of face and sides of head grad- 

 ing into and not contrasting with 

 grej^ of crown. 



c. General plumage grey-brown... I. geoffroyi. 



d. General plumage rufous brown. I. sinensis. 

 The female of tihetanus is not yet known. 



According to Beebe's system of division of the Phasianiclx, the 

 Blood Pheasants would come under the PerdicinK or true partridges, 

 which commence the moult of their tail feathers with the central 

 rectrices, and from thence by regular steps to the outermost pair. 



In form, generally speaking, the Blood Pheasants are not unlike 

 Partridges, with somewhat lengthened tails, but their plumage is 

 very soft and lax, and is also lanceolate in shape. The sexes are 

 entirely different in plumage ; the females being brown and almost 

 unicoloured birds, whilst the males are grey with a variety of other 

 colours on wings, breast and throat. 



The tarsi are long and stout, and are furnished with several 

 spurs in the male, which show as mere knobs on the legs of the 

 female. The wing is short and rounded, the first primary being 

 about equal to the tenth, and the fifth and sixth nearly equal and 

 longest. The tail feathers number fourteen, and are graduated ; 

 the outermost pair being a little over half the length of the central. 



The bill is very grouse-like in structure, and the nidification of 

 this bird also shews a clear affinity to the true grouse. 



There is a fairh^ well developed crest ctf soft feathers, of which 

 the longest are about ] 8 inches, often not so long. The crest of 

 the female is as full, but not so long, as that of the male. 



Ithagenes cruentus (Hardw.). 

 TJie Blood Pheasant. 



Phasianus cruentus. — Hardwicke, Trans., Linn., Soc, XIII 

 p. 237 (1822), (Nepal). 



Phasianus qardneri. — -Hardwicke, Trans., Linn., Soc. XV 

 p. 167 (1827),' Nepal Valley. 



Phasianus cruentahts. — Gray in Griffiths, ed., Cuv., Ill,, p. 47 

 (1829). 



Ithaginis cruentus. — Blj^th, Cat. Mus. As. Soc, p. 241 (1849); 

 Jerdon, B. of Ind., III., p. 522 (1863) ; Bland., J, A. S. B.,XLI., 

 pt, II., p. 71 (1872) (Habits and Food); Hume and Marshall 



