I04 A MONOGRAPH OF THE PHEASANTS 



The chin and throat are white, merging into rufous on the neck. On the hind neck 

 this colour forms only a very narrow collar which passes abruptly into the black and 

 buffy-white pattern of the dorsal plumage. On the lower hind neck we find the basal 

 half of the feather rufous ; the distal half black with a single row of two or three large 

 whitish-buff spots down each web. Passing backward the rows increase in number 

 and the spots become irregular in shape. 



In some specimens tinges of rufous or chestnut are visible over all the dorsal 

 surface, but this hue is invariably found on the wing-coverts, occurring as faint 

 markings in the black background between the buff spots. 



On the tertiaries and inner secondaries the pale spots become rounded, and these 

 feathers present a very regular dotted appearance. As we proceed outward, buff specks 

 become numerous, and on the outer secondaries these have increased on the outer 

 webs to a broken, irregular network of fine lines surrounding the light spots. 



A most important character is one that has thus far escaped the notice of 

 describers. Even on the innermost secondary, several orange-rufous spots of good 

 size are visible on the outer web close to the shaft. These are quite hidden, being 

 well up on the feather, perhaps half-way to the base. 



These increase in definiteness and number, until on the outermost secondary there 

 are a dozen large black spots distributed along the shaft, each enclosing a distinct spot 

 or semi-circle of deep chestnut near the distal border. In development they are not 

 much inferior to the ocelli on the inner secondaries of Argusianus. 



The primaries present a very different appearance from the secondaries, but show 

 no approach to the intricate pattern and colours oi Argusiamis. The general pattern is 

 a fine regular network of pale buff enclosing round or slightly elongate black spots. 

 On the outer vane the network is less perfect, the absence of many of the cross lines 

 changing the pattern into a series of buff lines running obliquely to the shaft on a black 

 background. 



The back and rump show the usual dorsal pattern of whitish spots on a black 

 ground, but all the feathers show more or less distinct traces of dark chestnut inter- 

 spots, which frequently partly coalesce into a faint network. 



The dorsal pattern, carried to an extreme, gives us the specialized appearance of the 

 tail-coverts and rectrices. 



On the much-elongated central rectrices we find the ground colour to be a pale slaty 

 blue, paling into black toward the tip and along the outer margin. Everywhere the 

 feather is thickly spotted with round white dots about 2 mm. in diameter. On the 

 outer web these are faintly, and on the inner web very strongly netted with a dark 

 chestnut network. Near the shaft on both webs the chestnut network breaks up into 

 large, rounded rich chestnut spots, with good-sized dark centres, which die out only on 

 the terminal part of the feather. 



As we pass to the lateral rectrices, the background of the feathers becomes darker 

 and diffused, and the chestnut network less apparent, the two colours finally mingling 

 and forming a dull olive buff background surrounding the white spots. From the 

 numerous small spots the chestnut vanishes altogether. The lines of central, black- 

 centred, chestnut ocelli, however, remain well developed up to the very outermost pair of 

 feathers, where they are lacking. 



