﻿156 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  on 
  the 
  rectrices 
  the 
  mottling 
  becomes 
  coarser, 
  and 
  rather 
  broken 
  black-and-white 
  

   cross-bars 
  appear, 
  while 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  chestnut 
  develops 
  until, 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  pairs, 
  

   this 
  colour 
  predominates, 
  with 
  irregular 
  black-and-white 
  mottling, 
  and 
  broad 
  chestnut 
  

   tips 
  flanked 
  with 
  black. 
  

  

  The 
  ventral 
  plumage 
  shows 
  a 
  wide 
  grey 
  terminal 
  fringe 
  followed 
  by 
  an 
  irregular 
  

   white 
  cross-bar, 
  the 
  remaining 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  feather 
  being 
  bright 
  chestnut, 
  much 
  of 
  this 
  

   being 
  visible. 
  Along 
  the 
  sides 
  the 
  grey 
  tip 
  disappears 
  and 
  the 
  white 
  occupies 
  most 
  of 
  

   the 
  web, 
  with 
  a 
  dark-bordered 
  spot 
  of 
  rufous, 
  of 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  size, 
  on 
  each 
  web. 
  The 
  

   entire 
  belly 
  and 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  flanks, 
  thighs 
  and 
  under 
  tail-coverts 
  are 
  pale 
  buffy 
  white. 
  

  

  Chick 
  in 
  Down. 
  — 
  Head 
  orange 
  rufous, 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  central 
  wedge 
  in 
  the 
  crown 
  

   dark 
  chocolate 
  brown. 
  Sides 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  face 
  paling 
  into 
  buff, 
  and 
  ventrally 
  into 
  

   the 
  creamy 
  white 
  of 
  the 
  chin 
  and 
  throat. 
  A 
  narrow, 
  very 
  distinct 
  line 
  of 
  black 
  extends 
  

   obliquely 
  downward 
  and 
  back 
  through 
  the 
  buff 
  from 
  near 
  the 
  posterior 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  

   eye, 
  expanding 
  on 
  the 
  ear-coverts 
  and 
  then 
  diminishing 
  again, 
  and 
  finally 
  ending 
  on 
  

   the 
  lower 
  side 
  neck. 
  The 
  rufous 
  ends 
  abruptly 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  neck 
  and 
  gives 
  place 
  to 
  

   a 
  cold 
  greyish 
  body 
  down. 
  The 
  mantle 
  is 
  of 
  an 
  indefinite 
  mottled 
  grey, 
  replaced 
  by 
  

   dark 
  chocolate 
  on 
  the 
  body, 
  sides 
  and 
  wings. 
  The 
  scapular 
  down 
  is 
  an 
  impure 
  creamy 
  

   white, 
  which 
  extends 
  to 
  the 
  rump 
  as 
  two 
  broad 
  lateral 
  bands 
  trisecting 
  the 
  chocolate 
  of 
  

   the 
  body 
  and 
  sides. 
  The 
  terminal 
  wing-down 
  is 
  buffy 
  white, 
  and 
  the 
  tail-down 
  quite 
  

   warm 
  rufous 
  buff. 
  The 
  ventral 
  surface 
  is 
  creamy 
  white, 
  stained 
  on 
  the 
  breast 
  with 
  

   buffy. 
  Bill 
  from 
  nostril, 
  6 
  mm. 
  ; 
  wing, 
  26; 
  tarsus, 
  22 
  ; 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw, 
  19. 
  

  

  Juvenile 
  Plumage. 
  — 
  Male 
  : 
  forehead, 
  lores, 
  superciliary, 
  large 
  sub-ocular 
  facial 
  

   patch, 
  chin, 
  throat 
  and 
  side 
  neck 
  white. 
  Anterior 
  crown 
  quite 
  dark, 
  with 
  increasing 
  

   buffy 
  tips 
  posteriorly 
  until 
  the 
  occiput 
  shows 
  only 
  this 
  colour. 
  Lower 
  face 
  and 
  ear- 
  

   coverts 
  dark 
  brown 
  with 
  buffy 
  tips. 
  Lower 
  neck 
  rufous, 
  irregularly 
  marked 
  with 
  black, 
  

   and 
  a 
  broad, 
  elliptical 
  shaft-stripe. 
  On 
  the 
  mantle, 
  scapulars 
  and 
  inner 
  wing-feathers 
  

   the 
  rufous 
  gives 
  place 
  to 
  a 
  cold, 
  sandy 
  grey, 
  and 
  the 
  black 
  is 
  consolidated 
  into 
  two 
  

   large 
  spots, 
  bounding 
  the 
  middle 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  shaft-streak. 
  Wing-coverts 
  pale, 
  

   vermiculated 
  greyish-buff, 
  with 
  the 
  white 
  confined 
  to 
  a 
  wide 
  terminal 
  band. 
  Primaries 
  

   dark, 
  with 
  numerous 
  bars 
  of 
  creamy 
  buff. 
  Secondaries 
  and 
  tail-feathers 
  rather 
  mottled 
  

   than 
  barred. 
  Breast 
  buff 
  with 
  shaft-stripe 
  and 
  terminal 
  band 
  of 
  white 
  ; 
  sides 
  with 
  

   darker 
  buff 
  ground, 
  making 
  the 
  shaft-stripe 
  much 
  more 
  conspicuous. 
  Lower 
  breast 
  

   and 
  belly 
  creamy 
  white. 
  Bill 
  from 
  nostril, 
  11 
  mm. 
  ; 
  wing, 
  132; 
  tarsus, 
  48; 
  middle 
  toe 
  

   and 
  claw, 
  36. 
  Spur, 
  a 
  low 
  but 
  sharp 
  scalule. 
  

  

  Female 
  : 
  all 
  the 
  white 
  markings 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  are 
  buff 
  in 
  the 
  juvenile 
  plumage 
  of 
  

   this 
  sex. 
  The 
  ventral 
  surface 
  and 
  sides 
  are 
  creamy 
  white 
  with 
  a 
  uniform 
  wash 
  of 
  buff 
  

   only 
  on 
  the 
  breast. 
  The 
  crown 
  is 
  quite 
  black 
  with 
  narrow 
  buffy-brown 
  tips. 
  

  

  EARLY 
  HISTORY 
  

  

  This 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  which, 
  long 
  before 
  it 
  was 
  seen 
  alive 
  or 
  dead 
  by 
  any 
  

   Caucasian, 
  had 
  for 
  centuries 
  been 
  depicted 
  in 
  Chinese 
  drawings. 
  More 
  than 
  one 
  early 
  

   ornithologist, 
  after 
  considering 
  these 
  paintings, 
  decided 
  to 
  class 
  the 
  abnormally 
  long- 
  

   tailed 
  birds 
  with 
  the 
  phoenix 
  and 
  the 
  dragon 
  as 
  mere 
  figments 
  of 
  the 
  Mongolian 
  

   imagination. 
  

  

  