﻿64 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  ventral 
  plumage. 
  The 
  breast 
  and 
  sides 
  remain 
  quite 
  white, 
  the 
  fringe 
  being 
  disintegrated 
  

   and 
  silvery 
  white, 
  but 
  the 
  central 
  lower 
  breast 
  and 
  belly 
  change 
  to 
  pale 
  buff, 
  and 
  along 
  

   the 
  central 
  line 
  rather 
  suddenly 
  to 
  brownish 
  black, 
  the 
  buff 
  being 
  reduced 
  to 
  a 
  pair 
  or 
  

   two 
  of 
  marginal 
  spots. 
  The 
  lower 
  sides, 
  flanks 
  and 
  under 
  tail-coverts 
  are 
  bright 
  rufous, 
  

   the 
  black 
  reduced 
  to 
  a 
  spot 
  in 
  the 
  former, 
  and 
  entirely 
  absent 
  in 
  the 
  latter. 
  Thus 
  the 
  

   rufous 
  of 
  the 
  back 
  and 
  rump 
  are 
  continued 
  clear 
  around 
  the 
  extreme 
  posterior 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   body. 
  

  

  Mandibles 
  pale 
  yellowish 
  horn 
  colour; 
  iris 
  quite 
  reddish 
  in 
  some 
  individuals, 
  

   yellowish 
  brown 
  in 
  others 
  ; 
  legs 
  and 
  feet 
  pale 
  lead-colour, 
  fleshy 
  tinge 
  on 
  the 
  posterior 
  

   positions. 
  Bare 
  facial 
  area 
  scarlet 
  at 
  the 
  breeding 
  season, 
  paler, 
  more 
  pinkish 
  at 
  other 
  

   times. 
  Weight 
  from 
  2 
  lbs. 
  10 
  ozs. 
  to 
  almost 
  4 
  lbs. 
  Length, 
  960 
  mm. 
  ; 
  extent, 
  760; 
  

   bill 
  from 
  nostril, 
  26 
  ; 
  wing, 
  259 
  ; 
  tail, 
  560 
  ; 
  tarsus, 
  73 
  ; 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw, 
  69. 
  The 
  

   spurs 
  are 
  stout 
  and 
  straight, 
  and 
  measure 
  about 
  13 
  mm. 
  in 
  length. 
  Wilson 
  says 
  that 
  

   the 
  length 
  of 
  an 
  adult 
  cock 
  may 
  reach 
  1160 
  mm. 
  in 
  length, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  most 
  exceptional, 
  

   and 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  one 
  over 
  a 
  maximum 
  length 
  of 
  1000 
  mm. 
  

  

  Adult 
  Female. 
  — 
  Forehead, 
  and 
  a 
  wide 
  border 
  all 
  around 
  bare 
  facial 
  area, 
  whitish, 
  

   with 
  narrow 
  brown 
  shaft-streaks. 
  Crown 
  and 
  a 
  short 
  occipital 
  crest 
  brownish 
  black, 
  

   with 
  narrow 
  buff 
  margins. 
  Under 
  eyelid 
  white, 
  bordered 
  with 
  brown 
  featherlets. 
  Chin 
  

   and 
  throat 
  pure 
  white. 
  Breast, 
  sides 
  and 
  hind 
  neck 
  creamy 
  white, 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  shaft- 
  

   streak, 
  which 
  basally 
  is 
  split 
  by 
  a 
  whitish 
  shaft-spot. 
  On 
  the 
  mantle 
  the 
  ground-colour 
  

   has 
  changed 
  to 
  warm 
  chestnut, 
  and 
  so 
  increased 
  that 
  the 
  black 
  is 
  reduced 
  to 
  several 
  

   spots 
  or 
  successive 
  bars. 
  Very 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  upper 
  plumage 
  is 
  the 
  shining 
  

   white 
  rhachis, 
  which 
  from 
  the 
  hinder 
  mantle 
  posteriorly 
  becomes 
  a 
  shaft-stripe, 
  distally 
  

   divided 
  into 
  a 
  spot 
  on 
  the 
  back, 
  and 
  merging 
  with 
  the 
  broad, 
  buffy-white 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  

   wing-coverts. 
  The 
  shaft-stripe 
  splits 
  the 
  subterminal 
  black 
  marking 
  into 
  two 
  rather 
  

   symmetrical 
  ocelli. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  hinder 
  mantle 
  the 
  rufous 
  gives 
  place 
  to 
  a 
  mottled 
  grey, 
  the 
  former 
  

   colour 
  persisting 
  only 
  on 
  the 
  concealed 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  feathers. 
  The 
  back 
  and 
  rump 
  

   plumage 
  varies 
  greatly 
  from 
  a 
  dark, 
  mottled 
  brown, 
  with 
  several 
  irregular 
  alternate 
  

   black 
  and 
  buff 
  cross-bars, 
  to 
  a 
  cold, 
  clouded 
  grey 
  with 
  a 
  conspicuous, 
  black-bordered 
  

   shaft-streak. 
  

  

  The 
  secondaries 
  and 
  primaries 
  are 
  dark 
  brown, 
  strongly 
  barred 
  with 
  rufous 
  on 
  the 
  

   inner, 
  and 
  buffy 
  white 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  webs, 
  the 
  bars 
  being 
  mottled 
  on 
  the 
  secondaries, 
  but 
  

   solid 
  on 
  the 
  primaries. 
  

  

  The 
  central 
  rectrices 
  present 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  cross-bands, 
  so 
  arranged 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  

   to 
  say 
  what 
  is 
  the 
  ground-colour. 
  A 
  narrow 
  black 
  cross-bar 
  is 
  followed 
  posteriorly 
  by 
  

   a 
  wide, 
  clear 
  bar 
  of 
  buffy 
  white. 
  Then 
  large 
  black 
  blotches 
  appear, 
  and 
  quickly 
  become 
  

   a 
  fine 
  mottling, 
  while 
  the 
  buff 
  changes 
  into 
  a 
  greyish 
  rufous. 
  This 
  in 
  turn 
  is 
  abruptly 
  

   stopped 
  by 
  the 
  next 
  black 
  bar, 
  and 
  so 
  on. 
  

  

  The 
  colour 
  zones 
  of 
  the 
  ventral 
  surface 
  are 
  very 
  distinct. 
  The 
  white 
  chin 
  and 
  

   throat 
  give 
  place 
  abruptly 
  to 
  the 
  brownish 
  black 
  of 
  the 
  breast 
  with 
  its 
  wide 
  greyish-white 
  

   fringe. 
  Although 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  breast 
  plumage 
  is 
  rufous 
  basally, 
  this 
  is 
  quite 
  concealed 
  

   until, 
  abruptly 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  breast, 
  the 
  black 
  disappears 
  and 
  the 
  entire 
  remaining 
  

   ventral 
  plumage 
  shows 
  as 
  rich 
  rufous, 
  with 
  a 
  wide 
  pale 
  buff 
  margin. 
  

  

  