GOULD ON JAPANESE PHEASANT. 163 



band-like form ; as they advance towards the tip they 

 gradually become more and more irregular, until they are 

 arranged alternately, and in the like manner gradually 

 increase in size ; on the lateral feathers these marks are much 

 smaller, and on the outer ones are entirely wanting, those 

 feathers being covered with freckles of browil ; orbits crimson 

 red, interspersed with minute tufts of black feathers ; eyes, 

 yellowish hazel j bill and feet horn colour. 



" Compared with the female of the common pheasant, the 

 hen of the present bird has all the markings much stronger, 

 and is altogether of a darker colour. She has the whole of 

 the upper surface very dark or blackish brown, each feather 

 broadly edged with buff, passing in some of the feathers to a 

 chesnut hue ; those of the head, and particularly those of the 

 back, with a small oval deep spot of deep glossy green close 

 to the tip ; primaries and secondaries light brown, irregularly 

 barred with buff, and with buffy shafts; tertiaries dark 

 brown, broadly edged with buff on their inner webs, and 

 mottled with dull pale chesnut on the outer web, the edge of 

 which is buff ; tail dark brown, mottled with buff, and black 

 on the edges, and crossed by narrow irregular bands of buff, 

 bordered' on either side with blotches of dark brown; on 

 the lateral feathers the lighter edges nearly disappear, 

 and the bands assume a more irregular form; throat buff; 

 all the remainder of the under surface- buff, with a large 

 irregular arrowhead-shaped mark near the top of each 

 feather; thigh similar, but with the dark mark nearly 

 obsolete." 



The habits of the Japanese pheasant in its native country 

 were first described by Mr. Heine, the naturalist attached to 

 the American expedition to Japan, and the following obser- 

 vations by him were published in Commodore Perry's " Japan 

 Expedition " : — " After the treaty of Yokuhama had been 

 concluded, the United States squadron proceeded to Simoda. 

 A friendly intercourse with the natives was established, and 

 I constantly availed myself of Commodore Perry's kind 



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