BURMESE BARRED-BACKED PHEASANT 187 



DETAILED DESCRIPTION 



Adult Male. — Forehead, crown and nape dusky brown, with much concealed 

 basal white. Chin also dusky brown, showing posteriorly more and more steel-blue 

 margins, until this colour predominates on the throat, the neck all around, upper mantle 

 and breast. Mantle rufous with a broad, disintegrated fringe of fiery red, and a small 

 rounded spot at the extremity of the shaft. The back is black with a long white fringe 

 5 mm. in width, and two narrow cross-bars of the same colour, the black between the 

 distal cross-bar and the fringe being glossed with blue. The rump-feathers show a 

 general degeneration of the pattern, the feathers being more or less mottled black and 

 white, and in some birds the white fringe becomes a golden yellow buff with considerable 

 sheen. This is interesting as approximating the rump coloration of the firebacks and 

 copper pheasants. 



The wing shows the same general scheme of colouring and pattern as in ellioti, 

 namely, successive bands of colour, beginning at the antero-interior or shoulder edge of 

 the wing as follows : 



{a) White band with slight blue outer border 

 {h) Broad band of chestnut with metallic-red fringe . 

 [c) Band of steel blue ..... 

 {d) Very broad band of chestnut with very narrow fringe 

 {e) White band, with partly concealed black inner border 

 (/i S) Wide chestnut band formed by the secondaries, followed by the"! o.^^ 



successive black and white bars of the tips of these feathers J 



Average width. 

 15 mm. 

 28 

 15 

 33 

 15 



The coverts and rectrices are much as in ellioti, save that the grey interspaces are 

 very wide, and the narrow cross-bars are black with more or less chestnut along the 

 distal border of the black. 



The coverts are much mottled, and on the lateral feathers the black increases and 

 the chestnut gradually disappears. 



The lower breast shows considerable fiery fringe and black spots, as on the mantle, 

 but after a few rows of feathers these characters disappear, and the remainder of the 

 ventral surface and sides is wholly dark rich chestnut. On the flanks and thighs 

 considerable black marking appears, and the under tail-coverts are wholly black with 

 a slight greenish gloss. 



Iris hazel brown ; facial skin scarlet ; legs and feet grey or dull yellowish horn 

 colour. Beak from nostril, 18 mm. ; wing, 230; tail, 610; tarsus, 66; middle toe and 

 claw, 54. Spur curved and usually slender, 18 mm. 



Adult Female. — The dorsal plumage is in no way distinguishable from that 

 of ellioti. 



On the ventral surface the only distinguishing character (except in the rare 

 individuals of Elliot females which almost lack the throat patch) is the very great 

 reduction of black, although in no case is it altogether absent. Still this character 

 on the whole is a diagnostic one, as the black never forms a solid mass, but at most 

 conspicuous bands and shaft-stripes on the lower throat, with a sprinkling of isolated 

 round spots on either the outer or inner webs of scattered breast-feathers. The more 

 usual occurrence is as narrow shaft-streaks on the lower neck, while the lower breast 

 and belly are creamy white with one or two wide diffused cross-bars of pale buff. 



