MALAYAN CRESTED FIREBACK 125 
margin, which is followed successively by an equally wide band of chestnut, and a 
narrow zone of steel-blue; the remainder being dull black. Primaries and secondaries 
are brownish-black unmarked. Two inner pairs of tail-feathers and the inner web and 
tip of the third, pure white; the remaining rectrices dull jet black. Feathers of the 
side, breast, sides of body and the flanks with a conspicuous shaft-stripe on the visible 
terminal third occasionally expanded distally, pure white in some cases, or chestnut, 
or a mixture of the two. Abdomen, thighs, under wing and tail-coverts sooty black, 
with no metallic gloss, or a small amount on the under tdil-coverts. 
Mandibles, spurs and claws yellowish horn, the former darker at the base; irides 
red; facial area bright smalt blue; legs and feet red, especially strong on the front 
of the tarsi and toes, the posterior surfaces out of the breeding season being reddish 
white. Weight, 5 lbs. Length, 720; extent, 940; bill from nostril, 23; wing, 286; 
tail, 266; tarsus, 109; middle toe and claw, 65. Spurs straight and stout, average 
length, 38. 
MALE PLUMAGE VARIATIONS.—Although this species does not show any greater 
variations from the normal than many of the other pheasants, yet atypical individuals 
have caused great confusion. After careful comparison of all the specimens I could 
find in the museums of the Far East, of Europe and of America, together with those 
I was able to collect, I can find no sufficient grounds for separating the Sumatran from 
the Malayan birds, nor of recognizing the single aberrant captive specimen from an 
unknown locality, now in the Leyden Museum, as distinct from the Bornean crestless 
fireback. 
If, on the other hand, such characters as have been utilized in the separation 
of these two forms are recognized as valid, then I should logically be compelled to 
distinguish three or four other “species” based on. equally variable, and, it seems to 
me, insufficient characters. I have in mind one male bird with half the mantle of clear 
chestnut, and another full-grown male with the central rectrices half chestnut instead 
of pure white. It is wholly impossible to separate the Sumatran birds on the grounds 
that the shaft-stripes of the side and flank feathers are predominately buffy or chestnut 
rather than white. Over fifty per cent. of the Malayan birds show considerable chestnut 
on these feathers, and an adult male sent from Johore to the Raffles Museum, Singapore, 
for mounting, exhibited a greater amount of chestnut-red flank markings than I have 
ever seen on any Sumatran bird. Such being the case I see no logical possibility of 
distinguishing more than a single species of this northern Crested Fireback. As to 
sumatrana as defined by Biittikofer,* the variation zzter se of the five male specimens 
which he lists is such as to give but slight value to the status of this form. I have 
seen at least a half-dozen adult specimens in the museums of the East and elsewhere 
which show as much variation in the chestnut and white of the rectrices and the amount 
of red on the flanks as in the above-mentioned five birds. As these specimens were 
divided between Sumatra and Pahang, I see no course open but to consider them as 
aberrant variations of vzfa in the direction of zgn7ta. 
FeMALE.—Head, neck, mantle and lesser wing-coverts uniform chestnut. Re- 
maining parts of the upper plumage and wings finely vermiculated with black, this 
1 “Notes from Leyden Museum,” XVII. 1895, p. 177. 
