BLACK GROUS. 



281 



tipped with white : the tail is composed of sixteen 

 feathers of a black colour, changing to deep violet ; 

 the exterior ones bending outwards, and much 

 longer than those in the middle : the under tail- 

 coverts pure white : the feathers on the tarsi dark 

 brown : the eyebrows with a very deep red naked 

 space : the beak is black : the irides hazel, and the 

 feet brown. 



The female is smaller than the male : the tail is 

 less forked, and its lateral feathers are not curved 

 outwards : the head, the neck, and the breast, are 

 striped transversely with red and black : the belly 

 and sides the same, but paler, and the feathers 

 tipped with whitish grey : the under tail-coverts 

 are striped with red and black, and tipped with 

 pure white : the throat is reddish, striped with 

 small black lines : the back, wing-coverts, and 

 rump, are deep red, varied with black lines, which 

 are glossed with purplish : the tail-feathers are 

 black, varied with oblique zigzag red stripes, and 

 tipped with white: the quills are brown, with 

 white zigzag stripes on their outer webs : the 

 secondary feathers are white at their base, and at 

 their tips resemble the quills. The young males 

 of the first year are similar to the females, but at 

 the next moult they attain some of the particu- 

 larities of their proper plumage. 



Several varieties of this species are mentioned ; 

 two of which are noticed in the synonyms : one a 

 male, varied with black and white, with a deep 

 shining spot on the breast : the other a female, of 

 a dull white, obsoletely waved with nut-colour. 



