﻿160 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  DETAILED 
  DESCRIPTION 
  

  

  Adult 
  Male.— 
  Head 
  chestnut 
  brown, 
  the 
  feathers 
  dark 
  at 
  the 
  base. 
  On 
  the 
  

   occiput 
  a 
  narrow 
  terminal 
  fringe 
  of 
  metallic 
  purple 
  appears, 
  changing 
  to 
  a 
  fiery 
  copper, 
  

   which 
  increases 
  until 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  visible 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  neck 
  all 
  around 
  and 
  the 
  mantle 
  

   are 
  of 
  this 
  colour. 
  On 
  these 
  areas 
  the 
  black 
  has 
  pushed 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  two 
  elongated 
  

   marks 
  on 
  each 
  web, 
  a 
  pattern 
  which 
  characterizes 
  the 
  entire 
  body 
  plumage, 
  the 
  black 
  

   being 
  visible 
  in 
  the 
  undisturbed 
  plumage 
  of 
  the 
  wing-coverts 
  and 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  ventral 
  parts. 
  

  

  The 
  entire 
  back 
  and 
  rump 
  are 
  characterized 
  by 
  the 
  purple-copper 
  iridescence 
  being 
  

   confined 
  to 
  the 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  terminal 
  fringe, 
  while 
  the 
  lateral 
  areas 
  are 
  paler, 
  buff 
  

   in 
  some 
  lights, 
  changing 
  to 
  fiery 
  yellow 
  gold. 
  

  

  The 
  wing-coverts 
  and 
  under 
  parts 
  are 
  non-iridescent 
  ; 
  the 
  former 
  rich 
  chestnut, 
  

   while 
  the 
  ventral 
  plumage 
  is 
  paler, 
  more 
  of 
  a 
  greyish 
  vinaceous. 
  

  

  The 
  primaries 
  are 
  brownish 
  black, 
  irregularly 
  barred, 
  especially 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  web, 
  

   with 
  pale 
  rufous 
  buff. 
  The 
  secondaries 
  have 
  several 
  bars 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  terminal 
  area 
  on 
  

   the 
  outer 
  web 
  chestnut, 
  while 
  the 
  concealed 
  basal 
  parts 
  and 
  the 
  inner 
  webs 
  are 
  con- 
  

   spicuously 
  marked 
  with 
  white. 
  This 
  dies 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  tertiaries 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  very 
  pale 
  

   outer 
  margins. 
  These 
  white 
  alar 
  markings 
  show 
  very 
  conspicuously 
  on 
  the 
  under 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  wing, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  under 
  wing-coverts 
  and 
  the 
  axillaries 
  being 
  pure 
  white. 
  

  

  In 
  extreme 
  individuals 
  the 
  central 
  tail-feathers 
  show 
  fourteen 
  to 
  sixteen 
  narrow, 
  

   black 
  cross-bars, 
  the 
  wide 
  interspaces 
  being 
  rich 
  dark 
  chestnut, 
  paling 
  slightly 
  on 
  the 
  

   anterior 
  border 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  bars. 
  The 
  outer 
  four 
  pairs 
  of 
  tail-feathers 
  are 
  almost 
  

   unbarred, 
  but 
  tipped 
  with 
  a 
  wide 
  zone 
  of 
  black. 
  The 
  tail-feathers 
  are 
  eighteen 
  in 
  

   number 
  and 
  extremely 
  graduated, 
  from 
  the 
  outer 
  pair, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  bare 
  ioo 
  mm., 
  to 
  the 
  

   central 
  ones, 
  which 
  sometimes 
  reach 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  925 
  mm., 
  over 
  nine 
  times 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  

   the 
  former. 
  

  

  The 
  mandibles 
  are 
  yelloAvish 
  horn, 
  darker 
  toward 
  the 
  base. 
  Facial 
  skin 
  scarlet, 
  

   covered 
  thickly 
  with 
  papillae, 
  quite 
  bare 
  of 
  featherlets 
  except 
  for 
  the 
  lower 
  eyelid, 
  and 
  

   extending 
  as 
  a 
  small 
  roundish 
  area 
  on 
  the 
  cheek, 
  which 
  is 
  densely 
  covered 
  with 
  white 
  

   featherlets 
  and 
  bounded 
  with 
  dark 
  chestnut. 
  Iris 
  rich 
  hazel 
  brown. 
  Feet 
  and 
  legs 
  

   greyish 
  or 
  dark 
  yellowish 
  horn 
  colour. 
  The 
  spurs 
  are 
  quite 
  stout, 
  but 
  not 
  very 
  long, 
  

   never 
  more 
  than 
  10 
  or 
  12 
  mm. 
  

  

  Bill 
  from 
  nostril, 
  16 
  mm.; 
  length, 
  1108; 
  wing, 
  215 
  to 
  230; 
  tail, 
  660 
  to 
  925; 
  

   tarsus, 
  64 
  ; 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw, 
  62. 
  

  

  Variations 
  of 
  Adult 
  Males. 
  — 
  From 
  individuals 
  such 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  described, 
  with 
  

   no 
  trace 
  of 
  white 
  on 
  the 
  visible 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  feathers, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  yellow 
  gold 
  of 
  the 
  

   back 
  and 
  rump 
  but 
  slightly 
  differentiated 
  from 
  the 
  copper, 
  we 
  find 
  a 
  perfect 
  gradation 
  

   to 
  the 
  extreme 
  type 
  of 
  scintillans. 
  In 
  Kiusiu, 
  however, 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  and 
  south, 
  the 
  

   gradation 
  is 
  toward 
  ijimae, 
  with 
  the 
  white 
  becoming 
  concentrated 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  back 
  

   and 
  rump, 
  and 
  eliminated 
  from 
  all 
  the 
  remaining 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  plumage. 
  

  

  Adult 
  Female. 
  — 
  Crown 
  and 
  occiput 
  dull 
  brown, 
  edged 
  with 
  rufous 
  buff. 
  Back 
  

   and 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  neck 
  rufous, 
  shading 
  into 
  vinaceous 
  toward 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  each 
  feather. 
  

   The 
  mantle 
  is 
  irregularly 
  and 
  sparsely 
  mottled 
  with 
  black, 
  and 
  with 
  two 
  large, 
  lateral, 
  

   rounded, 
  subterminal 
  spots 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  colour. 
  Posterior 
  mantle, 
  scapulars 
  and 
  wing- 
  

   coverts 
  more 
  finely 
  mottled, 
  grey 
  rather 
  than 
  rufous 
  or 
  vinaceous, 
  and 
  with 
  conspicuous 
  

  

  