76 A MONOGRAPH OF THE PHEASANTS 



trace of barring, the central pair of feathers being evenly vermiculated grey and black, 

 the outer ones successively with more and more clear black, the grey being confined 

 to the base. All have a pale ashy terminal band of mottling. 



The feathers of the face, chin and throat are white, broadly margined all round with 

 black. The upper breast shows a faint rufous tinge, but the under parts as a whole 

 are a grizzled grey, a cold ashy hue, with no black patches or ocelli, and hence much 

 paler grey than the upper parts. Each feather shows an elongated, subterminal, paddle- 

 shaped shaft-streak of white, bordered, especially toward the extremity, with black. 

 These increase gradually in size from the breast to the flanks. Iris dark hazel ; legs 

 and feet greyish. The measurements are: length, 608; expanse, 810; bill from nostril, 

 13 ; wing, 240 ; tail, 193 ; tarsus, 63 ; middle toe and claw, 63 mm. 



First Year Plumage, Male. — The body plumage of this age is much like that 

 of the female, but the head and neck present the greatest variability, the crown usually 

 being blackish, while a collar of dark maroon completely encircles the neck. Many 

 authors speak of these birds as gradually acquiring the adult plumage, but this apparent 

 slowness of moult is wholly superficial and optical, based on colour alone, and due to 

 a greater or lesser delay in individual moult. In wild shot birds I have found that 

 the second autumn moult brings the complete adult plumage in all its perfection and 

 brilliance. In captivity a bird of the third year will often still show signs of immaturity 

 due to abnormal growth or imperfect nutrition. 



In a wild bird shot in April there is absolutely no sign of moult, but a large patch 

 of half-grown feathers on the left breast are fully adult. The preceding grey and white- 

 shafted ones have been accidentally pulled out in some way, and even thus early in the 

 year the adult pigment is waiting to be poured forth into the plumage whenever an 

 opportunity offers. 



The great variability of this plumage makes any single description difficult. The 

 forehead and crown is dark brown or blackish, with occasionally narrow white shaft- 

 streaks. The dark colour of the feathers of the rear crown and nape is broken by 

 numerous crossbars of pale buff, which change on the neck to dark orange-red, while 

 the black becomes a faint mottling or a narrow terminal fringe. This is continued 

 around the throat as a band or collar enclosing the dull brown, buff-shafted feathers of 

 the chin and throat. 



The upper plumage is a rather uniform vermiculation of black and cold grey, the 

 coverts and flights showing a warmer, more buffy tone. Invariably on the upper mantle, 

 and occasionally scattered sparsely on the back and wing-coverts are small white ocelli, 

 a single, subterminal one on each feather set in a small black area. Both primaries and 

 secondaries are dark brown, with about six or eight irregular crossbar mottlings of pale 

 whitish buff on the outer web. 



The rectrices show about a dozen shaded, very irregular crossbars of grey, dark 

 brown and whitish buff. The central pair resembles the secondaries in hue, while the 

 others are clearer dark brown or black, with the crossbars white and fewer in number. 

 All the markings are exceedingly irregular and variable in different individuals. 



Beneath, the entire ground colour is like the mantle, an even vermiculation of black 

 or dark brown on cold grey, but each feather shows an elongated white shaft-streak 



