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PUCRASIA CASTANEA, Gouda.

Kafiristan Pucras Pheasant.

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

 

Two adult examples of this Pheasant grace the collection of the Hon. East India Company, and I am
indebted to the Directors and to Dr. Horsfield for permission to figure so fine a bird for the first time in
“The Birds of Asia.” The two specimens referred to were collected by Dr. William Griffith in Kafiristan,
and, so far as I am aware, are all that exist either in the collections of this country or those of the Conti-
nent. The discovery of this fine bird tends to prove that our knowledge of the Phascanide inhabiting the
Asiatic continent is far from complete, and we may fairly infer that if so large a bird has hitherto escaped
the notice of travellers, additional novelties will yet be obtained when the more distant regions are diligently
explored.

The Pucrasia castanea is a larger, longer and more powerful bird than the P. macrolopha ; its rich uniform
chestnut-coloured mantle, breast and flanks at once distinguishing it from the other species of the genus.

I need scarcely add, that any information respecting the localities inhabited by this bird and its near

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allies, their habits, manners and general economy, will be most acceptable, and I would therefore strongly
press the matter upon the notice of residents and travellers in India, in the hope that they may be induced
to give some attention to the subject, and favour us with the result of their observations.

Forehead, cheeks, chin and lengthened portion of the crest dark shining green; hinder part of the head

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—

and the shorter portion of the crest dull sandy buff, the two colours blending on the occiput; on each side
the neck an oval patch of white ; lanceolate feathers of the neck both above and below the breast and flanks
deep chestnut ; feathers of the upper part of the back black, stained with chestnut on the outer web and
margined with grey; lower part of the back and rump grey, fading into white on the edges and with a
narrow streak of blackish brown down the shaft ; wing-coverts dark brown, largely edged with greyish and
ashy brown; primaries brown on their inner margins, cream-white on the outer ones; feathers of the lower
part of the abdomen brownish black, edged with whitish ; under tail-coverts chestnut, with a black line
fringed with white at the tip; upper tail-coverts ashy grey, with a broad mark of blackish brown down the
centre, but not extending to the tip; tail-feathers black, the centre ones broadly margined with grey
freckled with black, the remainder fringed with whitish at the tip ; bill black; feet horny brown.

Total length, 23 inches ; wing, 94 5 tail, 1025; tarsi, 2.

The figure represents the bird the size of life.