38 A MONOGRAPH OF THE PHEASANTS 



they find food throughout the cold months, and roost at night close together in 

 the trees. 



Przewalski describes the note of this bird as a long whistle— clear, but not very 

 loud. 



Eggs of the Northern Blood Partridge from Szechuan {berezowskii) are creamy- 

 white, the surface covered with blackish spots and blotches. 



DETAILED DESCRIPTION 



Adult Male. — Forehead, lores and entire facial area shining black. Posterior 

 edge of forehead, chin and lower malar area, back as far as or beyond line of the eye 

 tinged with bright crimson. This occasionally extends as a rosy wash over the entire 

 throat. Crown feathers elongated into a crest, ashy grey with white shaft-stripes. 

 The elongated ear-coverts and lateral feathers of the crown also enter into the formation 

 of the crest, the latter being brownish black, while the former have a conspicuous white 

 shaft-stripe, which often terminates in an isolated, expanded streak. 



Passing backward from the head, the ashy grey changes gradually into the greyish 

 blue so characteristic of all the species of Ithagenes. From the scapulars to the tail- 

 coverts the chief changes are a widening and slight greening of the shaft-stripe and 

 an increase in the lateral black stripes. 



The lesser and many of the median wing-coverts are identical with the dorsal 

 plumage, then very abruptly, the individual feathers become particoloured in various 

 patterns, the black and white stripes narrow and vanish, the latter greening before they 

 disappear, while the blue area and almost immediately the entire feather changes to 

 a golden buff, identical with the colour of the throat of the female criienttis. The rhachis 

 remains ivory white and expands into a small but conspicuous terminal spot of greenish 

 white. In a few feathers the golden buff is absolutely pure, but usually it shows strong 

 crimson stains along the shaft or on the lateral margins. The inner secondaries are 

 predominantly of the golden colour, which becomes fainter and narrower, limited to the 

 outer margin on the outer secondaries. 



The flight feathers are plain dull brown, with shining white shafts. 



The longer tail-coverts, while retaining the two dark bands of the dorsal plumage, 

 have a well-developed lateral crimson fringe. The rectrices, varying in colour from dark 

 brown, through various mottlings to almost immaculate white, show the crimson fringe 

 in a highly developed state. 



The rose-tinged ash of the chin gives place to a warmer but paler buff which 

 extends uniformly over the throat and breast. There is considerable variation in the 

 latter area, some birds having it almost clear white. On the lower breast the feathers 

 change abruptly to a clear apple green bordered with black, this colouring giving way 

 in turn to mouse grey, down-like in texture, which covers much of the lower sides, 

 flanks and belly. In very fully developed specimens one finds the green extending 

 back to the flanks, giving the impression that the entire under surface from the lower 

 breast is of this colour. In by far the greater number, however, the green occupies a 

 more or less sharply defined mid-ventral zone, widest along the sides below the wings 

 and barely reaching the mid line of the belly. Frequently the posterior part of the 



