BLACK GROUS. 
281 
tipped with white : the tail is composed of sixteen 
feathers of a black colour, changing to deep violet ; 
the exterior ones bending outwards, and much 
longer than those in the middle : the under tail- 
coverts pure white : the feathers on the tarsi dark 
brown : the eyebrows with a very deep red naked 
space : the beak is black : the irides hazel, and the 
feet brown. 
The female is smaller than the male : the tail is 
less forked, and its lateral feathers are not curved 
outwards : the head, the neck, and the breast, are 
striped transversely with red and black : the belly 
and sides the same, but paler, and the feathers 
tipped with whitish grey : the under tail-coverts 
are striped with red and black, and tipped with 
pure white ; the throat is reddish, striped with 
small black lines : the back, wing-coverts, and 
rump, are deep red, varied with black lines, which 
are glossed with purplish: the tail-feathers are 
black, varied with oblique zigzag red stripes, and 
tipped with white: the quills are brown, with 
white zigzag stripes on their outer webs : the 
secondary feathers are white at their base, and at 
their tips resemble the quills. The young males 
of the tirst year are similar to the females, but at 
the next moult they attain some of the particu- 
larities of their proper plumage. 
Several varieties of this species are mentioned ; 
two of which are noticed in the synonyms : one a 
male, varied with black and white, with a deep 
shining spot on the breast : the other a female, of 
a dull white, obsoletely waved with nut-colour. 
