﻿ELLIOT'S 
  BARRED-BACKED 
  PHEASANT 
  195 
  

  

  much 
  dark 
  brown 
  and 
  black 
  on 
  the 
  concealed 
  basal 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  feathers. 
  This 
  white 
  

   area 
  begins 
  very 
  abruptly 
  in 
  a 
  transverse 
  line 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  breast, 
  but 
  grades 
  off 
  on 
  the 
  

   sides 
  by 
  a 
  graduated 
  fringe 
  of 
  white, 
  which 
  as 
  it 
  disappears 
  shows 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  

   and 
  rufous 
  basal 
  area. 
  Under 
  tail-coverts 
  black, 
  with 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  chestnut 
  bases 
  ; 
  iris 
  

   light 
  brown 
  ; 
  mandibles 
  yellowish 
  ; 
  bare 
  facial 
  skin 
  vivid 
  red 
  ; 
  legs 
  and 
  feet 
  bluish 
  grey. 
  

   Length, 
  800 
  mm.; 
  beak 
  to 
  nostril, 
  17; 
  wing, 
  235; 
  tail, 
  430 
  ; 
  tarsus, 
  58; 
  middle 
  toe 
  

   and 
  claw, 
  53. 
  Spurs, 
  about 
  20 
  mm., 
  slender, 
  curved 
  and 
  sharp. 
  

  

  Adult 
  Female. 
  — 
  Centre 
  of 
  crown, 
  occiput 
  and 
  nape 
  olive 
  brown 
  with 
  dark 
  rufous 
  

   margins, 
  the 
  rufous 
  sometimes 
  being 
  the 
  dominant 
  colour. 
  Lores, 
  lower 
  eyelid, 
  fore- 
  

   head, 
  sides 
  of 
  crown 
  and 
  face 
  pale 
  fawn, 
  becoming 
  greyer 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  hind 
  neck 
  and 
  

   pinker 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  throat 
  and 
  neck. 
  Mantle 
  black, 
  with 
  two 
  irregular 
  

   buffy 
  cross-bars, 
  a 
  short, 
  white, 
  arrow-shaped 
  shaft-mark 
  and 
  a 
  broad 
  olive 
  terminal 
  

   fringe. 
  The 
  black 
  sub-terminal 
  area 
  is 
  often 
  rounded 
  into 
  two 
  ocelli 
  by 
  the 
  surrounding 
  

   rufous, 
  white 
  and 
  olive. 
  The 
  white 
  wing-bands 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  are 
  all 
  faintly 
  indicated 
  by 
  

   pale 
  mottled 
  olive 
  feathers. 
  The 
  back 
  and 
  rump 
  are 
  black, 
  mottled 
  with 
  grey, 
  buff 
  and 
  

   olive 
  in 
  endless 
  variety, 
  sometimes 
  so 
  thickly 
  that 
  the 
  black 
  is 
  reduced 
  to 
  a 
  broad 
  shaft- 
  

   stripe. 
  The 
  scapulars 
  and 
  coverts 
  are 
  more 
  coarsely 
  mottled, 
  irregular 
  broken 
  buff 
  

   cross-bars 
  being 
  visible 
  on 
  many 
  feathers, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  with 
  a 
  whitish 
  terminal 
  

   fringe 
  beyond 
  the 
  olive 
  sub-terminal 
  area. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  greater 
  coverts 
  are 
  two 
  well-marked, 
  rounded 
  black 
  ocelli, 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  inner 
  

   web 
  dying 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  secondaries, 
  and 
  the 
  ocellus 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  web 
  being 
  absent 
  in 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  median 
  coverts. 
  The 
  outer 
  secondaries 
  gradually 
  lose 
  the 
  mottling 
  and 
  

   become 
  black 
  with 
  oblique 
  rufous 
  cross-bars, 
  which, 
  on 
  the 
  primaries, 
  are 
  pale 
  buff 
  and 
  

   confined 
  to 
  the 
  outer 
  web. 
  

  

  The 
  grizzled 
  pattern 
  of 
  the 
  rump 
  is 
  continued 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  tail-coverts 
  and 
  central 
  

   rectrices, 
  a 
  black 
  sub-terminal 
  black 
  shaft-mark 
  being 
  conspicuous 
  on 
  the 
  former, 
  while 
  

   the 
  latter 
  show 
  indistinctly 
  shaded, 
  dark 
  cross-bars 
  alternating 
  with 
  the 
  clouded 
  and 
  

   mottled 
  grey 
  portions. 
  The 
  tips 
  are 
  pale 
  buff. 
  

  

  The 
  lateral 
  rectrices 
  are 
  bright 
  chestnut, 
  with 
  marginal 
  traces 
  of 
  the 
  mottled 
  grey 
  

   bands 
  on 
  the 
  2nd 
  and 
  3rd 
  pairs, 
  a 
  black 
  sub-terminal 
  band 
  and 
  a 
  broad 
  white 
  tip. 
  The 
  

   under 
  tail-coverts 
  are 
  miniatures 
  of 
  these, 
  with 
  considerable 
  basal 
  black. 
  

  

  In 
  one 
  extreme 
  type 
  the 
  chin, 
  throat, 
  and 
  a 
  rather 
  narrow 
  line 
  down 
  over 
  the 
  

   central 
  breast 
  are 
  black, 
  in 
  strong 
  contrast 
  with 
  the 
  surrounding 
  pale 
  grey 
  brown 
  or 
  

   fawn 
  colour. 
  In 
  other 
  birds 
  of 
  equal 
  age 
  the 
  black 
  is 
  partly 
  or 
  wholly 
  absent 
  from 
  

   chin 
  and 
  throat, 
  or 
  from 
  the 
  chin 
  alone. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  but 
  three 
  individuals 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   black 
  was 
  wholly 
  absent. 
  The 
  breast 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  rufous 
  brown 
  than 
  the 
  neck, 
  and 
  

   over 
  this 
  the 
  black 
  of 
  the 
  mid-neck 
  spreads 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  perfectly 
  round 
  spots, 
  or 
  

   an 
  imperfect 
  cross-bar. 
  On 
  the 
  concealed 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  feather 
  we 
  sometimes 
  find 
  a 
  

   central 
  white 
  shaft-spot 
  and 
  dark 
  mottling. 
  As 
  in 
  the 
  male, 
  the 
  belly 
  is 
  chiefly 
  white, 
  

   with 
  much 
  scarcely 
  concealed 
  basal 
  brown 
  and 
  black, 
  the 
  feathers 
  of 
  the 
  sides 
  with 
  

   less 
  white. 
  

  

  Iris 
  hazel 
  brown 
  ; 
  facial 
  skin 
  showing 
  red 
  under 
  the 
  featherlets 
  ; 
  bill 
  dark 
  yellowish 
  

   horn; 
  legs 
  and 
  feet 
  slate 
  colour. 
  Length, 
  500 
  mm. 
  ; 
  bill 
  from 
  nostril, 
  18; 
  wing, 
  210; 
  

   tail, 
  195 
  ; 
  tarsus, 
  63 
  ; 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw, 
  52. 
  

  

  