﻿1 
  82 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  between 
  them. 
  The 
  only 
  sound 
  I 
  have 
  heard 
  them 
  make, 
  and 
  Avhich 
  I 
  can 
  with 
  certainty 
  

   attribute 
  to 
  them, 
  is 
  a 
  low, 
  grunting 
  call, 
  exactly 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  Burmese 
  

   pheasant, 
  a 
  bird 
  I 
  knew 
  well 
  in 
  the 
  south-east 
  of 
  these 
  hills." 
  

  

  DETAILED 
  DESCRIPTION 
  

  

  Adult 
  Male. 
  — 
  Crown 
  olive 
  brown, 
  the 
  edges 
  slightly 
  glossed 
  with 
  green, 
  chin 
  and 
  

   upper 
  throat 
  black 
  ; 
  neck, 
  upper 
  breast 
  and 
  upper 
  back 
  jet 
  black, 
  with 
  broad, 
  steel-blue 
  

   edges, 
  the 
  black 
  concealed 
  except 
  where 
  the 
  feathers 
  are 
  disturbed. 
  In 
  fully 
  adult 
  birds 
  the 
  

   blue 
  is 
  irregularly 
  continued 
  down 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  rump 
  in 
  even 
  diluted 
  amount 
  ; 
  inter- 
  

   scapulars 
  and 
  back 
  broadly 
  edged 
  with 
  glowing 
  copper 
  ; 
  lower 
  back 
  and 
  rump 
  steel 
  blue, 
  

   paler 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  back, 
  each 
  feather 
  with 
  white 
  edges 
  and 
  a 
  white 
  bar 
  ; 
  upper 
  

   tail-coverts 
  grey, 
  slightly 
  vermiculated 
  with 
  white 
  and 
  with 
  an 
  obscure, 
  broken 
  central 
  

   bar 
  ; 
  tail 
  similar, 
  with 
  bars 
  of 
  black, 
  mottled 
  with 
  chestnut 
  on 
  the 
  central 
  rectrices, 
  and 
  a 
  

   wide, 
  sub-terminal 
  bar 
  on 
  the 
  four 
  outer 
  pairs, 
  increasing 
  in 
  width 
  toward 
  the 
  outermost. 
  

   Several 
  of 
  the 
  outer 
  rectrices 
  are 
  mottled 
  white 
  at 
  the 
  tip. 
  Medium 
  wing-coverts 
  like 
  

   the 
  back, 
  with 
  a 
  broad, 
  steel-blue 
  bar, 
  lesser 
  coverts 
  similar, 
  with 
  a 
  broad 
  band 
  of 
  white 
  

   bordering 
  the 
  blue 
  ; 
  greater 
  coverts 
  chestnut, 
  with 
  broad 
  white 
  tips 
  and 
  a 
  bluish 
  

   subterminal 
  band 
  ; 
  primaries 
  brown, 
  edged 
  with 
  chestnut, 
  secondaries 
  wholly 
  chestnut 
  

   on 
  the 
  exposed 
  outer 
  webs, 
  tertiaries 
  like 
  greater 
  coverts 
  ; 
  lower 
  breast 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  

   upper 
  back, 
  changing 
  gradually 
  into 
  deep 
  chestnut 
  on 
  the 
  abdomen 
  and 
  flanks 
  ; 
  thighs 
  

   and 
  centre 
  of 
  abdomen 
  mottled 
  brown, 
  under 
  tail-coverts 
  black, 
  slightly 
  glossed 
  with 
  

   bluish. 
  

  

  Facial 
  skin 
  scarlet 
  ; 
  iris, 
  orange 
  ; 
  mandibles, 
  greenish 
  horn, 
  lighter 
  toward 
  the 
  tip 
  ; 
  

   legs 
  and 
  feet 
  brownish. 
  Length 
  900; 
  bill, 
  from 
  nostril, 
  20; 
  wing, 
  217; 
  tail, 
  530; 
  

   tarsus, 
  63, 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw, 
  52 
  mm. 
  

  

  Adult 
  Female. 
  — 
  Crown 
  reddish 
  brown, 
  the 
  middle 
  feathers 
  with 
  small 
  black 
  

   centres, 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  crown, 
  lores 
  and 
  chin 
  feathers 
  mottled 
  with 
  darker 
  ; 
  neck 
  above 
  

   and 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  sandy 
  brown, 
  faintly 
  barred 
  with 
  blackish 
  ; 
  upper 
  back 
  and 
  scapulars 
  

   similar, 
  with 
  wide, 
  jet-black 
  edges 
  and 
  bars, 
  and 
  a 
  white, 
  arrow-shaped 
  shaft 
  mark 
  on 
  

   each 
  feather 
  ; 
  lower 
  back, 
  rump 
  and 
  upper 
  tail-coverts 
  mottled 
  sandy 
  brown, 
  with 
  

   irregular 
  black 
  centres 
  and 
  white 
  markings, 
  especially 
  on 
  the 
  posterior 
  plumage. 
  

   Central 
  rectrices 
  sandy 
  brown, 
  with 
  faint, 
  irregular, 
  mottled, 
  dark-brown 
  bars 
  ; 
  outer 
  

   rectrices 
  chestnut, 
  with 
  black 
  bars 
  and 
  broad 
  white 
  tips 
  ; 
  the 
  breast 
  is 
  pale 
  sandy 
  brown, 
  

   with 
  a 
  mottling 
  of 
  black 
  spots 
  ; 
  lower 
  breast 
  and 
  flanks 
  more 
  rufous, 
  barred 
  with 
  pale 
  

   grey 
  ; 
  under 
  tail-coverts 
  mottled 
  sandy 
  and 
  brown, 
  the 
  longest 
  feathers 
  chestnut, 
  like 
  

   the 
  outer 
  rectrices, 
  with 
  white 
  tips 
  and 
  black 
  bars 
  ; 
  wing 
  feathers 
  and 
  coverts 
  mottled 
  

   grey 
  on 
  the 
  visible 
  portions, 
  varying 
  to 
  sandy 
  with 
  well-defined 
  black 
  marks, 
  and 
  faint, 
  

   narrow, 
  whitish 
  edges 
  to 
  the 
  medium 
  and 
  greater 
  coverts 
  ; 
  primaries 
  mottled 
  brown, 
  

   with 
  pale 
  sandy 
  bars 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  webs. 
  

  

  Facial 
  skin 
  scarlet 
  ; 
  iris 
  pale 
  yellowish 
  ; 
  mandibles 
  dull 
  horny, 
  paler 
  toward 
  tips 
  ; 
  

   legs 
  and 
  feet 
  brownish 
  grey. 
  Length 
  600; 
  culmen 
  from 
  nostril, 
  18; 
  wing, 
  210; 
  

   tail, 
  250 
  ; 
  tarsus, 
  60 
  ; 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw, 
  48 
  mm. 
  

  

  