CERIORNIS CABOTIL, Gould.

Dr. Cabot’s Horned Pheasant.

 

Ceriornis Caboti, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XXV. ee tole

 

Amone the many emiment and liberal men I had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with during my visit
to the United States of America in the summer of 1857, was Dr. Cabot of Boston, a gentleman highly
distinguished as a traveller, and for his devotion to the study of natural history. In his collection were many
rarities, some of which especially interested me, but none more so than the remarkable bird represented on
the opposite Plate, and which had been received by him from China. Dr. Cabot very kindly permitted me to

 

bring this fine bird to London, for the purpose of figuring it in the present work ; which being done, it will
now be returned to him with many thanks from myself, and I am sure those of my readers generally. I
could obtain no other information respecting the bird than that it was from the country I have mentioned,
and, I believe, the neighbourhood of Macao. I was for some time in doubt as to whether it was not a mere
variety of some previously known species of the genus, but after repeatedly and very carefully comparing it
with the whole of them, I could come to no other conclusion than that it is distinct from them all, and there-
fore gave it the name of Ceriornis Caboti, as a just tribute to its owner for his liberality. In form it is a
perfect Ceriornis, and in the colouring of its head and the whole of its upper surface it is equally so ; but it
differs in its markings from all the other species of the genus. It was the beautiful buff colouring of the
breast which so perplexed me, as it is not to be found in any of the others; but it is so regular and so well
defined, that I am convinced it is a good species. As a matter of course, the well-known Chinese member
of the genus, Cerzornis Temmincki, was the bird with which the most careful comparison was instituted ; it
is, however, found to differ from that bird, both in the markings of the back and in the tints which pervade
the under surface. In the Temmincki these tints are of a semi-uniform character of colouring, the general

hue being grey, while in the Cadoti the same part is buff; colours of such an opposite nature, that they will
e somewhat longer than those of any

 

 

 

not change from one to the other; I remark, too, that the legs ar
‘other known species.

Forehead, sides of the head, nape, and chin black ; crest and sides of the neck deep red; all the upper
rich chestnut, buffy white, and black, the latter coloration assuming the form of
a large circular spot at the tip of each feather, this buff mark greatly increasing in size on the ‘scapulamies
and the greater wing- and _tail-coverts ; primaries and tail-feathers very dark brown, crossed with toothed
markings of buff mottled with black ; breast and under surface deep sandy buff, stained with red and black
on the flanks, under tail-coverts and thighs.

Total length, 183; bill, 15; wing, 10; tail, 72; tarsi, 325
The figure is about two-thirds of the natural size.

surface mottled with black,

middle toe and nail, 22.