112 A MONOGRAPH OF THE PHEASANTS 



rump and the coverts. Tail pale buff, with the basal half black. On the outer feathers 

 the buff is sometimes confined, even on old birds, to a small terminal patch on the 

 outer web. 



The remaining under-parts slightly glossed with dark steel-blue, and all under tail- 

 coverts plain steel-blue ; lower belly dull brown, with enlarged flattened shafts of most 

 conspicuous shining white. The shape of the breast feathers is wholly unlike that in 

 erythrophthahmts, being rounded in the latter, but pointed mpyronotus, with the shafts 

 very unlike. In erythrophthalmus the rhachis is dark and normal in shape, tapering, 

 and splitting up as usual into terminal barbs. In the Bornean bird the rhachis for 

 the terminal third is expanded and flattened, and of a shining ivory white. In its 

 enlarged condition it extends clear beyond the terminal barbs as a strong white spine. 



Bill yellow, black at base, scarlet facial skin covered with finger-like papillae and a 

 sparse scattering of hair-like, degenerate, simple featherlets. 



The spurs are curved, and from 15 to 33 mm. in length. The measurements are: 

 bill from nostril, 18; wing, 235; tail, 148; tarsus, 81 ; middle toe and claw, 51 mm. 



Immature males have the lower back much darker, the golden is more tarnished, 

 mixed with reddish. 



Adult Female. — Crown dark brown. Chin, throat, ear-coverts and sides of neck 

 paler, smoky brown. Nape, belly and flight-feathers dull brownish black. The 

 remainder of the plumage black, glossed, especially strongly on the upper surface, with 

 dark steel-blue. 



Upper mandible dark, lower yellowish. Bare facial area scarlet. Iris dark brown. 

 Spurs straight, 15 mm. in length. Bill from nostril, 15 ; wing, 220 ; tail, 135 ; tarsus, 76 ; 

 middle toe and claw, 48 mm. 



EARLY HISTORY 

 Temminck was the first naturalist to give this bird a name, but as he never published 

 it, it counted for naught. J. E. Grey, in his '' Illustrations of Indian Zoology," figured 

 it, but gave it the same title as the Malayan bird, which by a printer's error reads 

 erythrothalmus. In 1844, G. R. Gray called the s^tcits pyronotus, but gave no descrip- 

 tion of it, so it remained for Dr. Sclater nine years later to finally correlate the bird with 

 its scientific name and description. Elliot says that a male bird was living in the 

 London Zoological Gardens in 1870, but I can find no other record of it. 



SYNONYMY 



Euplocomus erythrothalmus (sic) Gray, (nee Raffles), Illust. Ind. Zool. IL 1834, pi. 38, fig. i. 



Alectrophasis pyronota Gray, List of B., pt. IIL 1844, Gall. p. 26. 



Gallophasis pyronotus Gray, Gen. B. IIL 1845, p. 498. 



Alectrophasis personatus Temm. MS., Bonap. C.R. XLII. 1856, p. 879. 



Euplocamus pyronotus Sclater, P.Z.S. 1863, p. 120; id. List of Phas. 1863, p. 8; Gray, List Gallinae Brit. 

 Mus. 1867, p. 36; Bl3/th, Ibis, 1870, p. 174; Elliot, P.Z.S. i87i,p. 138. 



Euplocomus pyronotus Gray, Hand-list of Birds, II. 1870, p. 259 ; Elliot, Mon. Phas. II. 1872, pi. 29 ; Salvad. 

 Ucc. Born. 1874, p. 307; Sharpe, Ibis, 1877, p. 23 (Bintulu) ; Bias, Verb. Ges. Wien, XXXIl'l. 1883, 

 p. 6% (Lihong Bahaja) ; Everett, List B. Born. 1889, P- I99- 



Acomus pyronotus Gray, Hand-list of Birds, II. 1870, p. 259. 



Phasianus personatus Blyth, Ibis, 1870, p. 174. 



Euplocomus personatus Temm. MS., Elliot, Mon. Phas. II. 1872, text to pi 29. 



Acomus pyronotus Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. XXII. 1893, P- 284; Grant, Hand-book Game-birds, I. 1895, 

 p. 242 ; Sharpe, Hand-list of Birds, I. 1899, p. 34. 



