I40 A MONOGRAPH OF THE PHEASANTS 



about 6 mm. in length. The tail of sixteen almost black feathers is growing rapidly, 

 and from the outer pairs inward, the three outer pairs having already completed their 

 growth. 



A male in a somewhat later stage shows the full juvenile plumage, the whole top 

 of the head from the cere back now being feathered. Down the nape and hind neck, 

 however, there is only a very narrow plumaged area, two lines of feathers only, all 

 the rest of the hind and side neck being still covered with a dense growth of the orange 

 rufous down. The crown feathers are black with very wide chestnut tips, which, 

 however, are absent on the nape and narrow nuchal line, these showing slight bluish 

 glints among the black. The dorsal body plumage — mantle, back and rump — is basally 

 dark brown, with an indistinct black sub-terminal bar, and a wide dull rufous mottling 

 at the extremity. 



The scapulars and wing-coverts show this pattern to a very pronounced degree, 

 and thus present a very different appearance, the characters most apparent being a 

 rich rufous tip or terminal band, followed by a black band or two lateral black ocelli. 

 The inner secondaries show a very slight rufous marginal mottling, but the flights and 

 rectrices are otherwise plain brownish black. 



The under-parts exhibit a fairly dense growth of white feathers on the chin and 

 throat, but the lower neck has only a very sparse covering of feather sheaths, which 

 show the skin almost bare. The ventral plumage is of black-centred feathers with the 

 loose webbing margined with grey or white — a most indescribable mass of downy 

 plumage with no regular character or pattern. 



The post-juvenile moult has just begun in the primaries. No. i is well grown, 

 and Nos. 2 and 3 have just been dropped. Nos. 9 and 10 are still growing, and even 

 No. 7 is not yet dry. 



The tail is about in the same condition, or a trifle more delayed. All the juvenile 

 feathers are full grown, but the outer pair have been dropped, and the new black 

 incoming feathers already measure 33 mm., with about 12 out of the sheath. 



Transition between Juvenile and First Year Plumage. — Three males 

 collected in August are all in about the same condition, half moulted into adult 

 dress. 



In all these birds the long, rufous crown feathers stop abruptly at the hinder 

 crown, their rear edges overhanging the shorter posterior feathers like a cap. From 

 directly at their posterior edge the first few crest feathers are sprouting. The occiput, 

 nape, chin, throat and neck feathers are short and recurved ; those of the occiput, 

 ear-coverts and side neck are dark brown ; the chin and throat white, with a sprinkling 

 of new black feathers. The nape and hind neck show a wide border of shining greenish 

 blue, not the purplish blue of the -fully adult. The change shown by the moult of 

 the wing-coverts and flight-feathers is abrupt, from the faded brown, mottled-tipped 

 old feathers to the new brownish black ones. The under-parts show as yet little change 

 from the chaotic, near-female, brown, grey and white of the juvenile plumage, except 

 along the sides, where the golden rufous shows as two broad solid bands. 



In all three individuals the stage of the wing moult is almost identical. The 

 inner five primaries are new. No. 5 being still ensheathed, while the outer five are 



