360 
BIRDS OF BEITISH BURMAH. 
Genus HYDROPHASIANUS, Wagl. 
709. HYDROPHASIANUS CHIRUEGUS. 
THE PHEASANT-TAILED JACANA. 
Tringa chirurgus, Scop. Del Flor. et Faun. Insuh. ii. p. 92. Parra sinensis, Gm. 
Syst. Nat. i. p. 709 ; Kelham, Ibis, 1882, p. 185. Hydrophasianus chirurgus, 
Jerd. B. Ind. ii. p. 709 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs^ p. 592 ; id. S. F. iii. p. 185 ; 
Salvad. TJcc. Born. p. 343 ; David et Oust. Ois. Clmie, p. 483 ; Hume ^ Dav. S. F. 
vi. p. 464 j Hume, S. F. viii. p. 113 ; Legge, Birds Ceylon, p. 914 ; Oates, S. F. 
X. p. 241. Hydrophasianus sinensis, Bl. 8f Wald. B. Burm. p. 157. 
Description. — Male and female in summer. Eoreliead^ crown, sides of the 
head, chin_, throat and fore neck white ; a patch on the hinder part of the 
crown black ; nape, hind neck and extreme upper part of back shining 
golden yellow, this yellow separated everywhere from the white of the 
head and neck by a black line ; back, scapulars, tertiaries, rump and upper 
tail-coverts chocolate-brown, the latter darkest ; tail black ; upper wing- 
coverts and primary-coverts creamy white, the latter tipped with brown ; 
first and second primaries black with a little white at base ; the third with 
a broad white band on the inner web ; the others white, edged and tipped 
with black ; secondaries all white ; the whole lower plumage from the 
breast chocolate-brown ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white. 
Male and female in winter. Lores and a supercilium whitish; chin, 
throat and fore neck white ; a band from the gape passing under the eye, 
over the ear- coverts and round the fore neck, forming a pectoral band, 
black ; remainder of the lower plumage, under wing-coverts and axillaries 
pure white ; forehead blackish barred with white ; a broad band from just 
above the ear-coverts, passing down the sides of the neck, and bordering 
the black line already described, golden yellow ; crown, the whole upper 
plumage, tertiaries and scapulars hair-brown ; lesser and median coverts 
hair-brown, more or less barred with black ; greater wing-coverts pure 
white ; primary-coverts and quills as in summer some of the longer tail- 
coverts barred with black and white on the outer webs ; central tail-feathers 
hair-brown, the others white. 
In summer the tail is very long ; in winter of moderate length, barely 
exceeding the wings. At both seasons the first three primaries have long 
narrow appendages at their tips, and the tips of the fourth and fifth prima- 
ries are much produced in a pointed form. 
The bird of the year has the crown bright rusty ; the hind neck mixed 
rusty and brown ; the whole upper plumage, lesser and median wing-coverts 
and tertiaries brown, each feather very broadly edged with rusty; remainder 
of the wing as in the adult ; tail white except the central pair of feathers, 
which are rusty brown ; there are indications of the black line down the 
