WHITE-TAILED WATTLED PHEASANT i6i 



size. In fully adult males they vary from 7 to 10 mm., while in several birds of the 

 same age I have seen them merely undeveloped flattened nodules. 



There has been much misconception as to the length of the wattles, both in their 

 retracted and extended condition. I have examined living adult males carefully when 

 they were in a state of emotional rest, and then seen the wattles somewhat extended 

 when the birds became alarmed. Again I have seen the wattles still further lengthen 

 when two males were beginning to show off before a female, and finally, after manipula- 

 tion of the wattles in both living and freshly-killed birds, I realized that the amount 

 of possible lengthening and expansion has been greatly exaggerated. In the Museum 

 in Kuching, Sarawak, are two adult male White-tails said to be mounted by Hose. 

 The wattles of these birds have been stretched to their utmost while pliable and pinned 

 in this position, thus giving a most remarkable appearance to the head. After watching 

 the movement of the wattles in live birds and dissecting the musculature in dead 

 specimens, I am certain that any such extension as the taxidermist has produced in 

 these cases is wholly false. I give in tabular form the wattle measurements in 

 millimetres of these falsely-stretched ones ; of the natural normal length of the retracted 

 wattles, and of what I consider to be the greatest length possible when the bird is 

 showing off before the female. 



Loral 



Artificially 

 stretched 



17 



Normally 

 retracted 



6 



Normally 

 extended 



II 



Occipital . 



90 



13 



24 



Gular 



107 



32 



56 



Thus the bird is unquestionably able to increase the length of its wattles nearly 

 100 per cent, in the case of all three pairs. 



Adult Female.— Entire upper body plumage brownish-buff vermiculated with 

 black, except on the hind neck, where the feathers are almost wholly dull, brownish 

 buff. The wing-coverts are slightly more rufous. The black secondaries have very 

 coarse vermiculations in the form of numerous wavy, oblique lines of a conspicuous 

 rufous buff colour on the outer web and a very indistinct dim rufous on the inner. 

 The primaries are sometimes indistinctly mottled with rufous buff on the outer web 

 or they may be plain rufous brown on webs. The upper coverts and tail are rich 

 chestnut, sometimes irregularly mottled with black, more rarely plain chestnut. The 

 tail is paler beneath, wi'th very conspicuous brownish-white shafts, while the usual 

 number of rectrices is twenty-six. Chin and throat whitish, shading into yellowish 

 buff on the side and lower neck. Under-parts quite uniform, pale rufous buff, faintly 

 mottled with dark brown. The pale brown shafts are quite conspicuous. All three 

 pairs of wattles are clearly distinguishable in this sex ; the loral as minute nodules the 

 two other pairs as short flaps about 3 mm. in length. The occipital pair show no 

 evidence of bifurcation. The spurs are sharp-pointed but minute. Facial skin clear 

 blue; iris, legs and feet bright red; mandibles black, the tips paler horn colour. 

 Weight, 2i lbs. Bill from nostril, 19 mm.; wing, 230; tail, 175; tarsus, 70; middle 

 toe and claw, 50. 



Change of Colour in Adult Museum Specimens.— The adult White-tailed 

 Pheasants undergo considerable change in colour in the course of years even in dark 

 VOL. n 



