158 THE BLOOD PHEASANT. 



Cere, gape, and palate intense coral red to crimson ; orbital 

 skin scarlet to orange vermilion ; bill black ; iris red brown ; in 

 others pale clear hazel ; legs and spurs like the cere, crimson ; 

 claws dusky. 



Female. — Length, 16-5 to 17*0; expanse, 2ro to 23*0 ; wing, 

 7*62 ; tail, 5*5 to 6*o ; tarsus, 2*6 to 275 ; bill, 0'8 to 0-9. Weight, 

 12 ozs. to lib 1 oz. 



Bill black ; cere and orbital skin yellow carmine ; legs intense 

 carmine ; claws dusky ; iris brown. 



Dr. Jerdon is apparently wrong in his remark, above quoted, 

 that the bill of the adult female is red, for Mr. Hodgson says : — 

 " One specimen that I obtained in September, and which was by 

 dissection a female, showed the anomaly of a deep coraline 

 red bill. Later, I got other specimens showing the same pecu- 

 liarity ; all these had the cheeks fleshy grey. It is evident to me 

 that the red bill is a sign of nonage, and that it becomes 

 gradually black." 



It is just possible, however, that the change in the colour of the 

 bill may be seasonal ; anyhow all Mr. Hodgson's females 

 obtained in April and May had black bills. 



Very young birds have the bill, legs, and cere a dirty grey, 

 and the eye piece fleshy grey, with a faint crimson tinge. 



The spurs of the male are not assumed the first year I think, 

 as I have received some specimens, males, in perfect plumage 

 apparently, exhibiting no trace of any spur. I have never seen 

 more than four spurs on one leg in any specimen. 



The Plate conveys, I believe, a good idea of the species. 



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