PUCRASIA NIPALENSIS, Goud.

Nepaul Pucras Pheasant.

Pucrasia Nipalensis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc. April 11, 1854.

 

Or the three species of Pucrasia, the present is by far the most highly coloured and beautifully marked ; the
mantle, the sides of the neck, and the flank feathers being conspicuously striated with black, chestnut and
grey, while the same parts in the others are, as will be seen on reference to the respective plates, very
different and sombre in comparison. In size it is the smallest bird of the three, and as regards rarity it is
second only to the Puerasia castanea ; specimens, however, are contained in the collection at the British
Museum, in that of the East India Company, and, I believe, in that of the Jardin des Plantes at Paris.

The native habitat of this fine Pheasant is Nepaul and Bhotan, whence, I believe, all of the specimens
contained in the collections above mentioned have been sent by Mr. Hodgson.

Forehead, cheeks, chin and lengthened portion of the crest deep shining green; hinder part of the head
and the shorter portion of the crest buff with lighter shafts, the two colours blending on the occiput; on
each side the neck an oval spot of white ; feathers of the sides and back of the neck and upper part of the
back brownish black, with a narrow mark of rich chestnut down the centre, and edged with rufous or
whitish ; feathers of the lower part of the back brownish black, with white shafts and edges ; wing-coverts
blackish brown, with white shafts and margins ; scapularies broadly margined with deep reddish buff;
primaries brown on the internal web, deep buff on the outer; tertiaries pale chestnut, mottled with black
along the shaft and towards the edge, which is sandy buff; throat, centre of the breast and abdomen rich
chestnut ; flank feathers brownish black with white shafts, bordered on each side by a very fine line of
chestnut and narrowly edged with grey, the markings becoming larger and paler behind the thigh ; under
tail-coverts lively chestnut, with an oval spot of white at the tip of each ; centre tail-feathers rufous, stained
with black near the shaft, the remainder black on the inner web and at the tip; the outer webs chestnut,
which colour curves round into and occupies a portion of the internal web near the tip, all fringed with
white at the tip; bill black ; feet horny brown.

Total length, 202 inches ; wing, 8: ; tail, 9; tarsi, 23.

The figure is the size of life.