-250 PHEASANTS FOR COVERTS AND AVIARIES. 



f'oi-esfs, ho had never yet shot one, and had never seen une 

 except after it had been caught. Tlie bird is so exceedingly 

 sliy and wary, and rnns ahjng the ground in the densest parts 

 of the foi'esfc so ([uickly, that it is inip(jssible to get near it ; 

 and its sober colours and ricli eye-like spots, which are so 

 ornamental when seen in a museum, must harmonise well 

 with the dead leaves among which it dwells, and render it 

 very inconspicuous. All the specimens sold in Malacca are 

 cauglit in snares, and my informant, though he had shot nonc^, 

 had snared plenty." 



The great peculiarity of the liirds of this genus is that the 

 secondary Hight feathers of the wings are excessively en- 

 larged and lengthened, being in the males double the length 

 of the primaries, and covered on the outer webs with the 

 singular ocellated spots from whence the bird dei'ives its 

 name. Jn the male, also, the two central tail feathers are 

 extreuiely elongated, and project in a very singular manner 

 beyond the others. 



Until recently Arj/u.s (jiyiuttens was the only ku(jW)i 

 species in the genus ; but another sma,ller Argus [A. (/ntiji) 

 is iKjw known by^ specimens in the Ijritish Museum fr(jm 

 Borneo; there is also .1. ncrlhttus from the Highlamls (jf 

 Tonquin, and the existence of one or two others is suspected 

 from specimeus of feathers dilfering from th(jse of the known 

 species. 



'The great Argus is over five feet in length, the tail being 

 three feet eight inches long. The prevailing cijluui' of the 

 plumage is ochrenus red or Ijrown, unreHevcd liv any lively 

 or brilliant shade. 'The tints are distributed ^vitli so much 

 harniimy, and covered with such a, pr(jfusi(m (jf sniall s|.)ots, 

 or even ])oiuts, sometimes (hu'ker and sometimes lighter than 

 the ground, that they produce the most agreeable effect. 

 Its h.ing and Iji'oad secondary feathers are covered in their 

 entii'c length liy a row of large eye-like spots, closely 

 imitating half gloljcs ; the colour of these, as that of the 

 plumage, has, however, something resembling ancient bronze. 



