3M 
Gai.lin^k.- 
-BIKDS.- 
I’HASIANID.K. 
The Impeyaii I’lieasaiii (Lopliopiiorus Impeyaiuisi. 
laya. The plumage of the upper surface of this Pliea- 
sant exliihits the most brilliaut changing tints of green, 
hlue, violet, and golden bronze, with an intense metallic 
lustre. The head bears a crest of elongated featheis, 
generally drooping towards the back of the neck. These 
plumes Inive a slender naked shaft, terminated by an 
oval lustrous lamina. Low down on the hack there 
is a broad band of pure white, and the tail is amjile, 
rounded, and bright chestnut. The lower surface is 
nearly black. The length .of the male is rather more 
than two feet. The female is smaller, and reddish- 
brown, varied with spots and bars of black ; the back 
of the head bears a few elongated feathers, and the 
front of the neck is white. 
THE ARGUS PHEASANT {/brjns giganteus), one 
of the most remarkable and magnificent species of tbe 
present family, is an inhabitant of several of the larger 
islands of the Eastern archipelago. The most singular 
feature in the structure of this bird is the great devel- 
opment of the secondary wing-feathers, which are 
nearly three times as long as the primaries, and very 
broad. The body of the Argus Pheasant is not much 
larger than that of an ordinary fowl, but tbe total 
length of tbe male is between five and si.x feet, owing 
also been imported into Europe, in the milder parts of 
which it breeds freely in the aviaries. Tlie female is 
of a dull brownish colour, with black transverse bars. 
THE SILVER PHEASANT {PhasianUs ngethemerus) 
— Plate 19, fig. 71 — which is also a well-known bird 
in our aviaries, is a native of the northern parts of 
China. It is an active, powerful, and liandsome bird, 
liaving the head adorned with a crest of elongated 
purplish-black feathers, and the whole of the upper 
surface and tail white, but with each feather of the 
back and wings delicately pencilled with black lines. 
The two central tail-feathers, which are much elon- 
gated, are pure white ; the lateral ones are streaked 
with black; and the whole lower surface is of the 
same deep purplish-brown colour as the crest. I'lie 
naked space surrounding the eye is of very large size, 
and of a bright Vermillion colour. The female is 
grayish-brown above and white below, marked with 
irregular black bars. 
THE FIRE-BACKED PHEASANT {FAiploconrus igni- 
tm) — Plate 19, fig. 69 — an inhabitant of Sumatra, is a 
large and handsome species. It measures about two 
feet in length, and has the i)rincipal part of its plumage 
of a beautiful slaty-black colour. The crown of the 
head is adorned with a crest of slender feathers, wilh 
naked shafts, and its sides are covered with a naked 
bluish-purple skin ; the feathers of the lower part of 
the back are of a most brilliant, fiery orange colour, 
whence the name ot the species ; the tail is somewhat 
forked, the feathers being turned out on each side 
towards tbe apex, somewhat as in the well-known 
black cock ; the central feathers are white, the lateral 
ones black, with green reflections. The female is a 
smaller bird than the male, and of a general cinnamon- 
brown colour. 
THE IMPEYAN PHEASANT (Loplioplioriis Impcya- 
nus) — fig. 124 — another splendid Indian species, is an 
inhabitant of the mountains of Nepaul and the Ilima- 
Fig. Ui. 
