﻿174 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  feathers 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  a 
  pure-white, 
  loose-barbed 
  fringe. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  level 
  

   on 
  the 
  back 
  the 
  metallic 
  golden 
  fringe 
  becomes 
  abruptly 
  flecked 
  with 
  white, 
  and 
  almost 
  

   at 
  once 
  merges 
  into 
  the 
  two 
  lateral 
  zones 
  of 
  pure 
  white. 
  The 
  entire 
  lower 
  back 
  and 
  

   rump 
  are 
  unmarked, 
  glistening, 
  silky 
  white. 
  

  

  The 
  upper 
  tail-coverts 
  are 
  pale 
  chestnut 
  with 
  a 
  rather 
  narrow 
  terminal 
  band 
  of 
  

   white. 
  Tail 
  as 
  in 
  typical 
  soemmerringi, 
  as 
  are 
  also 
  the 
  facial 
  area 
  and 
  the 
  colours 
  of 
  the 
  

   soft 
  parts. 
  

  

  Bill 
  from 
  nostril, 
  16 
  mm. 
  : 
  wing, 
  215 
  to 
  235; 
  tail, 
  825 
  to 
  900; 
  tarsus, 
  64; 
  middle 
  

   toe 
  and 
  claw, 
  61. 
  Length 
  of 
  spur, 
  8 
  to 
  1 
  1 
  mm. 
  

  

  VARIATIONS 
  OF 
  ADULT 
  MALES 
  

  

  No 
  two 
  birds 
  are 
  exactly 
  alike, 
  although 
  even 
  the 
  greatest 
  extremes 
  show 
  sufficient 
  

   characters 
  in 
  common 
  to 
  be 
  recognized 
  as 
  sub-specific. 
  

  

  Lower 
  back 
  and 
  rump 
  : 
  The 
  massed, 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  solid 
  white 
  of 
  this 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   plumage 
  is 
  the 
  chief 
  ijimae 
  character, 
  and 
  it 
  shows 
  the 
  greatest 
  variation. 
  From 
  the 
  

   extreme 
  posterior 
  rump, 
  up 
  along 
  the 
  sides 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  axillaries, 
  the 
  visible 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  feathers 
  may 
  be 
  solid 
  white, 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  mid-dorsal 
  line 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  an 
  individual 
  

   with 
  traces 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  tinging 
  the 
  metallic 
  copper 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  nape 
  itself, 
  covering 
  a 
  zone 
  

   of 
  over 
  200 
  mm. 
  in 
  length. 
  This 
  may 
  be 
  divided 
  as 
  follows, 
  beginning 
  at 
  the 
  rump 
  and 
  

   ending 
  at 
  the 
  neck 
  : 
  pure 
  white 
  zone, 
  50 
  mm. 
  ; 
  white 
  dominant, 
  26 
  ; 
  half 
  and 
  half, 
  75 
  ; 
  

   copper 
  dominant, 
  50. 
  

  

  The 
  method 
  of 
  transition 
  or 
  of 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  is 
  of 
  interest. 
  On 
  the 
  

   scapulars 
  and 
  mantle 
  one 
  occasionally 
  sees 
  adventitious 
  isolated 
  round 
  white 
  dots. 
  But 
  

   on 
  the 
  back 
  the 
  first 
  hints 
  of 
  white 
  are 
  always 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  two 
  lateral, 
  subterminal, 
  

   round 
  spots, 
  which 
  soon 
  coalesce 
  along 
  the 
  shaft 
  and 
  gradually 
  spread 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  

   visible 
  area, 
  the 
  basal 
  chestnut 
  and 
  black 
  being 
  always 
  present. 
  Posteriorly, 
  however, 
  

   the 
  black 
  becomes 
  dominant, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  rump 
  feathers 
  of 
  extremely 
  marked 
  individuals 
  

   little 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  chestnut 
  but 
  a 
  narrow, 
  irregular 
  shaft-stripe. 
  The 
  transition 
  from 
  

   gold 
  to 
  white 
  is 
  usually 
  clean 
  and 
  abrupt, 
  very 
  rarely 
  by 
  a 
  fine 
  mottling 
  which 
  gives 
  a 
  

   stained 
  appearance 
  of 
  yellowish 
  buff. 
  

  

  One 
  bird 
  which 
  I 
  obtained 
  in 
  Kagoshima 
  had 
  the 
  white 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  posterior 
  

   35 
  mm. 
  of 
  the 
  rump, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  very 
  clear-cut, 
  and 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  plumage 
  was 
  

   very 
  dark 
  chestnut, 
  setting 
  it 
  distinctly 
  apart 
  from 
  scintillans. 
  

  

  Upper 
  tail-coverts 
  : 
  The 
  white 
  edges 
  vary 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  6 
  mm. 
  in 
  width. 
  These 
  

   feathers, 
  though 
  quite 
  short, 
  always 
  show 
  a 
  considerable 
  amount 
  of 
  wear. 
  

  

  Central 
  tail-feathers 
  : 
  The 
  individuals 
  with 
  less 
  white 
  on 
  the 
  dorsal 
  surface 
  have 
  

   central 
  tail-feathers 
  which 
  approximate 
  those 
  of 
  soemmerringi, 
  while 
  the 
  more 
  extremely 
  

   marked 
  ijimae 
  have 
  paler 
  chestnut 
  zones 
  just 
  anterior 
  to 
  the 
  black 
  cross-bars, 
  never, 
  

   however, 
  as 
  pale 
  as 
  in 
  extreme 
  scintillans 
  . 
  

  

  Belly 
  : 
  Usually 
  no 
  white 
  margins 
  are 
  present 
  ; 
  occasionally 
  there 
  are 
  pale 
  or 
  

   whitish 
  margins 
  to 
  the 
  lateral 
  feathers, 
  and 
  very 
  rarely 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  posterior 
  ventral 
  

   plumage. 
  

  

  Adult 
  Female. 
  — 
  The 
  only 
  persistent 
  characters 
  I 
  have 
  observed 
  are 
  that 
  Ijimae 
  

   is 
  in 
  general 
  more 
  buffy, 
  less 
  white 
  than 
  in 
  scintillans, 
  with 
  the 
  various 
  colours 
  less 
  

  

  