HIMALAYAN IMPEYAN PHEASANT 143 



terminate abruptly halfway down the inner web, leaving that portion plain dull brown. 

 The primaries are clear brown save on the very outer margin. The short, pointed tail 

 feathers vary considerably in different individuals, but usually show a tendency to 

 develop a single series of central spots down the shaft. In other individuals, marginal 

 spots extend down both webs, leaving the central portion clear brown. In the coming 

 first year plumage these will become crossbars ; in the adult they will give place to 

 uniform unmarked chestnut. 



Starting abruptly at the edge of the down of the throat, we find the breast and the 

 entire under surface much alike, the larger part of each feather buffy white, with an 

 irregular narrow margin of dark brown. Birds of this age measure ; bill from nostril, 

 20; wing, 190; tail, 81 ; middle toe and claw, 33 mm. 



First Year Plumage, Male.— When at last the chin and throat feathers do 

 begin to be renewed, they prove to be diagnostic of the sex, and I have never seen 

 a single individual in which they were not either pure white if the bird was a female, 

 or at least edged with black in the case of a male, while usually in the latter sex the 

 central chin and throat are quite black. 



When we examine young males after the first autumn moult we see what a 

 difference results from the slight acceleration of the head and neck moult, in comparison 

 with tragopans of the same age. The average young Impeyan male shows an even, 

 brown coloration of the head in conformity with the remainder of the plumage. 

 Throughout the plumage we find that the pattern of the juvenile garb has become more 

 complex. To the black, buff-streaked crown feathers is added a fringe of buffs, and 

 these are lengthened and truncate. On the nape a black shaft-streak creeps up the 

 rhachis, splitting the buff stripe. Posteriorly, more concentric bands appear, flattened 

 terminally so that crossbands of grey and dark brown are formed. On the whole 

 of the wing-coverts the terminal bands disintegrate into a grizzled freckling, while the 

 two lateral black ocelli have come into being, strongly accentuated by frames of warm 

 buff. The lower back and rump are buffy white, marked with fine, numerous, concentric 

 dark bands. 



On the secondaries we find a series of wavy but regular transverse bands of 

 warm buff on a black background, the bands being confined more and more to 

 the outer web as we proceed outward. The primaries are almost unmarked. The 

 rectrices are similar to the inner secondaries, but still more evenly barred with 

 rufous, and all are tipped white. The exposed parts of the largest tail-coverts are 

 pure white. 



The ventral surface shows considerable individual variation, but on the whole is 

 white or buffy in the centre of the feathers, mottled or solidly bordered with dark brown. 

 The under tail-coverts are black, with a wide shaft-stripe which begins halfway up the 

 feather, widens gradually, and terminally suddenly expands so as to include the whole 

 distal portion. These feathers are very conspicuous by reason of the purity of the black 

 and white, the latter being wholly free from any buffy tinge, and hence very unlike the 

 rest of the plumage. First year males average : bill from nostril, 27 ; wing, 268 ; tail, 

 198; tarsus, 71 ; middle toe, 71 mm. 



In few other species of birds can the accidental loss of feathers during the first year 



