124 A MONOGRAPH OF THE PHEASANTS 



peculiar sharp note, exceedingly like that of the large black-backed squirrel (Sciurus 

 bicolor). The males also continually make a whirring sound with their wings, which 

 can be very well imitated by twirling rapidly between the hands a small stick, in a 

 cleft of which a piece of stiff cloth has been transversely placed. I have often 

 discovered the whereabouts of a flock by hearing this noise. They never come into 

 the open, but confine themselves to the forests, feeding on berries, tender leaves, and 

 insects and grubs of all kinds, and they are very fond of scratching about after the 

 mariner of domestic poultry, and dusting themselves. When disturbed, they run 

 rapidly away, not in different directions, but all keeping much together; they rise 

 at once before a dog, getting up with a great flutter, but when once well on the 

 wing, fly with a strong and rapid flight. They seldom alight again under a couple 

 of hundred yards, and usually on the ground, when they immediately start running. 



*' I noticed on one occasion a very curious thing. I had stalked an argus, and 

 while waiting to obtain a good shot, I heard the peculiar note, a sort of chukun, 

 chukun, followed by a whirring noise made by the male Fireback, and immediately 

 after saw a fine male Fireback run into the open space, and begin to chase the argus 

 round and round its clearing. The argus seemed loath to quit its own domain, and 

 yet not willing to fight, but at last, being hard pressed, it ran into the jungle. The 

 Fireback did not attempt to follow, but took up a position in the middle of the 

 clearing, and recommenced the whirring noise with its wings, evidently as a challenge, 

 whereupon the argus slowly returned, but the moment it got within the cleared space 

 the Fireback charged it, and drove it back into the jungle, and then, as before, took 

 up his position in the middle of the space and repeated the challenge. The argus 

 immediately returned, but only to be again driven back, and this continued at least 

 a dozen times, and how much longer it would have continued I cannot say, but a 

 movement on my part attracting the birds' attention, they caught sight of me, and 

 instantly, before I could fire, disappeared into the jungle. The argus never made the 

 slightest attempt to attack the Fireback, but retreated at once on the slightest 

 movement of the latter towards it, nor did I see the Fireback strike the argus with 

 either bill, wings or spurs." 



Nothing is known of the nesting of this bird in a wild state, but it has 

 occasionally laid eggs in captivity. The average size of three such eggs is 53*6 by 

 39-4 mm. The surface is smooth, almost without gloss, and the colour is in general 

 a pale, dull buff. 



DETAILED DESCRIPTION 

 Male. — Short contour feathers of the head, chin and throat black ; neck, mantle, 

 scapulars, shorter tail-coverts, breast and sides, black with a wide terminal fringe of 

 purplish blue. Wing-coverts similar, but with the fringe shining steel-blue. On the 

 greater wing-coverts, inner secondaries and longer upper tail-coverts the gloss extends 

 more or less over the entire surface, and on the strongest marked feathers is slightly 

 greenish. When the feathers show wear, however, this gloss is the first character to 

 suffer, and the vane becomes dull blackish. Back and rump fiery bronze-red, the 

 anterior portion with a decided golden sheen. This iridescence is confined to the 

 visible portion of the feathers, namely, a very broad, terminal, rather disintegrated 



