﻿i 
  9 
  4 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  These 
  pheasants 
  live 
  fairly 
  well 
  in 
  captivity, 
  as 
  testified 
  by 
  the 
  records 
  of 
  thirty-two 
  

   individuals 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  London 
  Zoological 
  Society. 
  The 
  

   average 
  length 
  of 
  life 
  was 
  two 
  years 
  and 
  eight 
  months, 
  while 
  one 
  bird 
  lived 
  for 
  six 
  years 
  

   and 
  four 
  months. 
  

  

  DETAILED 
  DESCRIPTION 
  

  

  Adult 
  Male. 
  — 
  Forehead, 
  crown-feathers 
  bounding 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  bare 
  facial 
  area, 
  

   ear-coverts 
  and 
  nape 
  brown. 
  Base 
  of 
  crown-feathers 
  chestnut. 
  The 
  growth 
  of 
  black 
  

   featherlets 
  is 
  quite 
  dense 
  near 
  the 
  orbit, 
  and 
  the 
  entire 
  under 
  eyelid 
  is 
  white. 
  Narrow, 
  

   almost 
  concealed, 
  superciliary 
  line, 
  white 
  with 
  brown 
  tips. 
  On 
  the 
  hind 
  neck 
  the 
  brown 
  

   merges 
  gradually 
  into 
  dark 
  slaty 
  grey, 
  and 
  this 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  neck 
  pales 
  into 
  the 
  greyish 
  

   white 
  of 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  throat 
  and 
  neck. 
  Lores, 
  chin 
  and 
  upper 
  throat 
  dark 
  smoky 
  

   brown, 
  becoming 
  dead 
  black 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  throat 
  and 
  extending 
  down 
  the 
  ventral 
  neck 
  

   to 
  the 
  breast 
  in 
  a 
  narrowing 
  line 
  of 
  glossy 
  steel-blue 
  feathers. 
  

  

  The 
  grey 
  of 
  the 
  neck 
  changes 
  abruptly 
  on 
  the 
  breast, 
  lower 
  neck 
  and 
  mantle 
  plumage 
  

   into 
  rich 
  rufous 
  with 
  a 
  wide, 
  terminal, 
  disintegrated 
  fringe 
  of 
  glistening 
  metallic 
  copper. 
  

   At 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  fringe 
  an 
  elongated 
  black 
  bar 
  extends 
  some 
  distance 
  out 
  over 
  the 
  web 
  

   from 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  rachis, 
  recalling 
  the 
  hemisphere 
  of 
  mikado. 
  Behind 
  the 
  mantle, 
  on 
  

   the 
  back 
  and 
  rump, 
  the 
  rufous 
  and 
  copper 
  cease 
  abruptly, 
  giving 
  place 
  to 
  black 
  with 
  a 
  

   terminal 
  white 
  fringe 
  and 
  two 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  distinct 
  white 
  cross-bars. 
  

  

  The 
  wings 
  are 
  rather 
  complexly 
  marked. 
  A 
  row 
  of 
  large 
  feathers 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  wide 
  

   sub-terminal 
  white 
  band 
  forms 
  a 
  conspicuous 
  band 
  defining 
  the 
  antero-interior 
  margin 
  

   of 
  the 
  wing, 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  feathers 
  being 
  mantle 
  and 
  others 
  true 
  scapulars. 
  Down 
  the 
  

   inner 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  the 
  feathers 
  retain 
  the 
  white 
  as 
  a 
  narrower 
  fringe 
  until, 
  on 
  the 
  

   longest 
  scapulars 
  and 
  tertials 
  the 
  white 
  band 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  greatest 
  coverts 
  is 
  met. 
  

   Posterior 
  to 
  this 
  the 
  inner 
  secondaries 
  continue 
  the 
  band 
  as 
  grey 
  mottled 
  tips, 
  becoming 
  

   white 
  again 
  on 
  the 
  larger 
  secondaries 
  in 
  a 
  third 
  bar 
  curving 
  gradually 
  forward 
  across 
  

   the 
  wing. 
  

  

  Returning 
  to 
  the 
  mantle-scapular 
  bar, 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  succeeding 
  rows 
  of 
  feathers 
  

   contributing 
  their 
  part 
  to 
  the 
  white 
  by 
  a 
  cross-bar 
  high 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  feather, 
  but 
  with 
  

   much 
  of 
  their 
  distal 
  area 
  steel 
  blue, 
  making 
  an 
  alar 
  border 
  of 
  this 
  colour 
  to 
  the 
  white 
  

   bar. 
  Proceeding 
  outward, 
  over 
  the 
  wing 
  surface, 
  we 
  find 
  a 
  broad 
  oblique 
  band 
  of 
  

   metallic 
  blue 
  extending 
  across 
  the 
  median 
  coverts, 
  all 
  the 
  remaining 
  coverts 
  being 
  

   rufous 
  with 
  a 
  metallic 
  copper 
  fringe 
  like 
  the 
  mantle, 
  the 
  fringe 
  dying 
  out 
  towards 
  the 
  

   greater 
  coverts 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  outer 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  wing. 
  

  

  The 
  greater 
  coverts 
  and 
  secondaries 
  are 
  chestnut 
  with 
  a 
  wide 
  sub-terminal 
  black 
  

   bar 
  and, 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  seen, 
  a 
  still 
  wider 
  terminal 
  white 
  band. 
  The 
  primaries 
  are 
  dark 
  

   brown, 
  freckled 
  with 
  buff 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  web. 
  

  

  The 
  tail-coverts 
  offer 
  an 
  abrupt 
  change 
  from 
  the 
  black 
  and 
  white 
  barred 
  rump, 
  

   being 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  rectrices. 
  The 
  entire 
  feather 
  is 
  divided 
  into 
  successive 
  bands 
  of 
  

   chestnut 
  and 
  grey, 
  averaging 
  20 
  mm. 
  each 
  in 
  width, 
  with 
  indistinct, 
  narrow 
  black 
  

   margins 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  colours. 
  The 
  upper 
  tail-coverts 
  show 
  considerable 
  dark 
  vermicula- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  the 
  grey 
  bands, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  lateral 
  rectrices 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  

   pigment 
  together 
  with 
  successively 
  increasing 
  white 
  tips. 
  

  

  The 
  entire 
  breast 
  is 
  like 
  the 
  mantle 
  ; 
  the 
  belly 
  solid 
  white 
  superficially, 
  but 
  showing 
  

  

  