Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c. 539 



have I ever seen it 2 inelies long in the many specimens I have 

 examined. The bill is yellowish, fading to horn-colour j the 

 iris in the male reddish straw-colour, in the female brown. The 

 bare face-skin is of a much deeper and richer red than in Mr. 

 Gould's plate, and is much more developed. The smaller figure 

 in that plate gives the best idea of its appearance. One lobe 

 stands erect, high over the crown, another stretches back above 

 the ear, a third extends well over the nostril, and the lower one 

 forms a full-hanging wattle. I find, however, in live examples that 

 the edge of the face-skin is very expansile, and that the bird has 

 power to control its extension or contraction, somewhat similar, 

 though in a less degree, to that which obtains in the Turkey. 

 The legs are of as rich a carmine as in the Silver-Pheasant ; the 

 spur is nearly white, and the soles pale dingy bufi". I hope 

 before long to introduce this magnificent species to the general 

 public at home, through the Gardens. One fine male has 

 already gone forward, through Dr. Squire, by way of Cal- 

 cutta ; and I have sent several more of both sexes to Hong 

 Kong for direct shipment. When disturbed in its cage, the 

 bird utters a sound like " hah-sh," and rufiles up its feathers . 

 It has also a chuckling note^ chiefly uttered by the females. 

 These are much more weakly than the cocks, and sooner succumb 

 to fate. Among several pairs brought to me from the Tamsuy 

 neighbourhood was one cock of a variety which the Chinese call 

 Aw-kak. This has no white about it. The crest is black, the 

 dorsal feathers are maroon, like the scapulars, and the middle 

 rectrices are black. This specimen unfortunately escaped, and 

 was killed and plucked by " outside Chinese ^^ before I got hold 

 of it again. I procured at Tamsuy a similar example ; but it 

 had more or less white on the parts where it is found in the 

 normal form. This led me at the time to imagine that this 

 peculiar plumage was only a stage towards maturity. Accord- 

 ing to the Chinese, the form without white is common enough. 

 They distinguish it as a separate species, but also insist that 

 there is a third one, which, as far as I can make out (for I have 

 not yet seen it), would appear to be the bird in its first yearns 

 plumage. I must investigate the case further before I can 

 speak of it with confidence. 



