I50 A MONOGRAPH OF THE PHEASANTS 



increases in size, pushing down along the shaft, the increase, however, being chiefly dark 

 brown or black. When this colour has reached a distance of 13 mm. it begins to expand 

 at the extremity, and soon reaches the edge of the vanes, thus cutting off two patches of 

 white at the extremity of the feather. These become more and more restricted, and the 

 one on the outermost vane on the tail-coverts of each side soon vanishes, and on the last 

 of the shorter coverts there is no white, these feathers and the succeeding row of very 

 long coverts showing the iridescent variability of the greater coverts, being bronze green, 

 changing to rich purple, or with various combinations of these hues. The same 

 iridescence is present on the outer half of both webs of the central pair of tail feathers, 

 and on a lesser portion of the outer webs and the extremities of the others. The 

 remaining portion of the tail feathers is almost dead black, marked with small, 

 irregularly shaped white spots, usually in pairs, about ten pairs on the central feathers 

 and more on the outer ones. On the inner webs of the outer tail feathers some of the 

 spots assume a transverse banded appearance. There is much variation, however, and 

 occasionally the spots are so numerous that they give the feathers a mottled appearance. 

 Those on the outer webs are much more regular, and when the tail is partly spread, the 

 successive rows of white are a very striking feature. 



The primaries are dull brownish black, while the secondaries show more and more 

 greenish iridescence on the outer margin and tip as we proceed inward, the rule being 

 that all the exposed portions of the closed wing are iridescent. 



The chin, throat and upper half of the neck are black, with tiny iridescent tips, 

 while the feathers of the under parts and sides are black, with shining greenish margins, 

 even this hint of colour disappearing on the belly and flanks, but appearing quite strongly 

 on the under tail-coverts. 



Iris hazel brown ; mandible dark horn, tipped and edged with pale yellow horn ; 

 lores and all the bare skin between the eyes, gape, almost to the posterior edge of nostril 

 and well up on the forehead, rich dark blue. Feet and legs dark horn. Length, 800 ; 

 bill from nostril, 41 ; wing, 334 ; tail, 306 ; tarsus, 72 ; middle toe and claw, 82 mm. 



Adult Female. — The lores (except sub-narial patch) and entire face covered with 

 creamy-white featherlets ; chin and throat same colour. Entire anterior upper body 

 plumage dark brown, brokenly banded or marked with pale rufous buff. On the fore 

 crown these markings are in the shape of a noded, irregular shaft-stripe ; farther back 

 this breaks up into several paired spots, and then into two lateral, longitudinal stripes, 

 which in turn break into spots, and on the mantle widen into transverse bands of reddish 

 buff". This remains unchanged on the concealed portions of the coverts, but becomes an 

 irregular mottling on the exposed parts. 



On the secondaries the transverse bands extend to the tip, are very regular, and 

 more warmly rufous in hue. On the primaries they persist only as a faint mottling 

 of the outer margin. 



The most pronounced character of this sex is the presence of the male white dorsal 

 patch, this being as large in extent and even more purely white than in the other sex. 

 The transition to the coloured tail-coverts is entirely unlike the male. Dark markings 

 appear as subterminal dark brown mottlings, the whole feather except a shaft-stripe and 

 a terminal fringe being affected. As we proceed backward the shaft-stripe disappears. 



