﻿MIKADO 
  PHEASANT 
  203 
  

  

  The 
  central 
  rectrices 
  are 
  chestnut, 
  shading 
  off 
  into 
  pale 
  buff 
  toward 
  the 
  margins 
  of 
  

   the 
  webs, 
  and 
  are 
  irregularly 
  mottled 
  with 
  black. 
  There 
  are 
  about 
  a 
  dozen 
  black 
  cross- 
  

   bars. 
  The 
  longest 
  upper 
  tail-coverts 
  are 
  similar 
  in 
  pattern. 
  On 
  the 
  lateral 
  tail-feathers 
  

   the 
  pale 
  buff 
  and 
  the 
  black 
  markings 
  decrease, 
  the 
  bars 
  becoming 
  imperfect 
  and 
  finally 
  

   vanishing, 
  especially 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  webs. 
  Every 
  chestnut 
  feather, 
  however, 
  retains 
  a 
  

   broad 
  white 
  tip, 
  and 
  a 
  still 
  larger 
  black 
  sub-terminal 
  zone. 
  The 
  under 
  tail-coverts 
  are 
  

   miniatures 
  of 
  these 
  outer 
  rectrices. 
  

  

  The 
  chin 
  and 
  throat 
  are 
  brownish 
  white, 
  passing 
  into 
  the 
  monochrome 
  olive 
  grey 
  of 
  

   the 
  upper 
  breast. 
  As 
  on 
  the 
  mantle, 
  white 
  shaft-streaks 
  appear 
  posteriorly, 
  and 
  rapidly 
  

   increase 
  in 
  size 
  until 
  on 
  the 
  belly 
  and 
  sides 
  white 
  is 
  the 
  dominant 
  colour. 
  The 
  typical 
  

   pattern 
  is 
  a 
  broad 
  white 
  tip, 
  then 
  a 
  backward-curving 
  band 
  of 
  black, 
  enclosing 
  a 
  rufous 
  

   area. 
  Then 
  follows 
  a 
  large 
  white 
  zone 
  and 
  an 
  irregular 
  black 
  band 
  or 
  spots 
  at 
  the 
  

   base. 
  As 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  plumage, 
  hardly 
  two 
  adjacent 
  feathers 
  show 
  an 
  exactly 
  

   similar 
  pattern. 
  The 
  lower 
  belly 
  is 
  of 
  decomposed 
  olive 
  feathers 
  with 
  wide 
  greyish- 
  

   white 
  tips. 
  

  

  Iris 
  brown 
  ; 
  facial 
  skin 
  reddish 
  ; 
  legs 
  and 
  feet 
  bluish 
  horn. 
  Bill 
  to 
  nostril, 
  

   16 
  mm. 
  ; 
  wing, 
  210; 
  tail, 
  215 
  ; 
  tarsus, 
  64 
  ; 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw, 
  56. 
  Spur 
  a 
  low 
  sharp 
  

   scalule. 
  

  

  Juvenile 
  Plumage. 
  — 
  The 
  Mikado 
  Pheasant 
  attains 
  its 
  fully 
  adult 
  dress 
  at 
  the 
  

   first 
  annual 
  moult. 
  No 
  bird 
  in 
  full 
  juvenile 
  plumage 
  has 
  been 
  observed, 
  but 
  by 
  

   examining 
  many 
  individuals 
  which 
  show 
  traces 
  of 
  the 
  immature 
  feathers, 
  a 
  mosaic 
  may 
  

   be 
  obtained, 
  giving 
  a 
  general 
  idea 
  of 
  this 
  stage. 
  The 
  juvenile 
  scapulars 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  bird 
  

   are 
  black, 
  mottled 
  irregularly 
  with 
  rufous 
  and 
  broadly 
  margined 
  with 
  pale 
  buff. 
  The 
  

   coverts 
  are 
  brown, 
  narrowly 
  margined 
  with 
  whitish. 
  The 
  flight 
  feathers 
  are 
  broadly 
  

   banded 
  with 
  rufous 
  and 
  the 
  upper 
  tail-coverts 
  have 
  bright 
  chestnut 
  marginal 
  mottlings. 
  

   There 
  is 
  considerable 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  breast 
  plumage. 
  The 
  more 
  common 
  pattern 
  is 
  

   white 
  with 
  two 
  concentric 
  bands 
  of 
  black, 
  the 
  white 
  often 
  tinged 
  with 
  rufous. 
  This 
  may 
  

   be 
  varied 
  by 
  there 
  being 
  only 
  a 
  single 
  band, 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  a 
  wide 
  buffy 
  white 
  

   margin 
  all 
  around. 
  

  

  Five-day 
  Chick 
  in 
  Down. 
  — 
  Centre 
  and 
  rear 
  crown, 
  upper 
  neck, 
  mantle 
  and 
  

   scapular-down 
  dark 
  chestnut 
  ; 
  back, 
  rump 
  and 
  sides 
  dark 
  mahogany 
  or 
  chocolate 
  ; 
  lores, 
  

   anterior 
  and 
  sides 
  of 
  crown 
  buffy 
  brown 
  ; 
  lower 
  face, 
  chin, 
  throat 
  and 
  under-parts 
  buff, 
  

   breast 
  tinged 
  with 
  brownish 
  ; 
  a 
  narrow, 
  brownish-black 
  line 
  extending 
  down 
  and 
  back 
  

   from 
  the 
  eye, 
  over 
  the 
  ear-coverts 
  ; 
  two 
  broad, 
  buffy-yellow 
  stripes 
  along 
  the 
  upper 
  sides, 
  

   splitting 
  the 
  dorsal 
  and 
  lateral 
  chocolate 
  into 
  three 
  parts. 
  The 
  wing 
  plumage 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  

   contour 
  feathering 
  visible. 
  Primaries 
  dark 
  brown, 
  roughly 
  banded 
  with 
  rufous 
  buff 
  on 
  

   the 
  outer 
  web 
  ; 
  secondaries 
  similar, 
  but 
  with 
  the 
  bands 
  wider, 
  more 
  mottled, 
  and 
  

   showing 
  a 
  tendency 
  to 
  extend 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  inner 
  web 
  ; 
  primary 
  coverts 
  like 
  the 
  primaries 
  ; 
  

   secondary 
  greater 
  coverts 
  with 
  two 
  distinct, 
  sub-terminal, 
  rounded, 
  black 
  ocelli. 
  Bill 
  

   dusky, 
  pale 
  yellowish 
  horn 
  toward 
  tip 
  and 
  along 
  cutting 
  edges 
  ; 
  feet 
  and 
  legs 
  

   dusky. 
  

  

  Length, 
  167 
  mm. 
  ; 
  bill 
  from 
  nostril, 
  7 
  ; 
  wing, 
  67 
  ; 
  tail 
  in 
  down 
  ; 
  tarsus, 
  25 
  ; 
  

   middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw, 
  25 
  mm. 
  

  

  