68 GAME BIRDS OF INDIA AND ASIA. 



grels, since the crosses bred from these nearly 

 allied birds are probably fertile. 



About the first three species there is, however, 

 .no doubt ; the males of these all have tails much 

 like an ordinary domestic hen's, as described above, 

 and their plumage is always black, or rather steel- 

 blue above, and gre3dsh white below, the white 

 feathers of the under-surface being conspicuously 

 pointed. Their legs are never red or pink. 



The hens of these species are all very much 

 alike, hardly to be distinguished at all in fact. 

 Their tails are almost completely fowl-like and 

 their crests narrow and projecting ; their plumage 

 is of a nut-brown, with light shafts and tips to 

 the feathers ; the tail feathers, except the centre 

 or uppermost pair, are black. The plumage has 

 a much more uniform appearance than that of 

 other hen pheasants, the light markings being so 

 small that the birds appear plain brown by com- 

 parison with these. 



The White-crested Kaleege. 



GenncBUS albicristatus, Faun. Brit. Ind., 

 Birds, Vol. IV, p. 89. • . 



Native names : — Kalij, Kukera, Mirghi 

 Kalij, Kalesur (male), Kalesi (female). 

 Hind, in the N.-W. Himalayas ; Kolsa, 

 in the N. Punjab and Chamba. 



The male of this species has a long, narrow 

 drooping crest of white hairy-looking feathers ; 

 his upper plumage is black, glossed with blue, and 

 his tail black ; the rump is barred with white, the 



