PUCRASIA CASTANEA, Gould.
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 o f this country or those of the Continent.
The discovery o f this fine bird tends to prove that our knowledge o f the Phasianidas 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 d istant 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
allies, their habits, manners and general economy, will be most acceptable, and I would therefore strongly
press the matter upon the notice o f 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 o f their observations.
Forehead, cheeks, chin and lengthened portion of the crest dark shining g ree n ; hinder part of the head
and the shorter portion o f the crest dull sandy buff, the two colours blending on the occiput; on each side
the neck an oval patch o f 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 g re y ; lower p art o f the back and rump grey, fading into white 011 the edges and with a
narrow streak of blackish brown down the sh a ft; wing-coverts dark brown, largely edged with greyish and
ashy brown; primaries brown on their inner margins, cream-white on the outer ones; feathers o f the lower
part of the abdomen brownish black, edged with whitish ; under tail-coverts chestnut, with a black line
fringed with white a t the tip ; upper tail-coverts ashy grey, with a broad mark o f blackish brown down the
centre, but not extending to the t ip ; tail-feathers black, the centre ones broadly margined with grey
freckled with black, the remainder fringed with whitish a t the tip ; bill b lack ; feet horny brown.
Total length, 23 inches ; wing, 9 f ; tail, 1 0 t ; tarsi, 2-f-.
The figure represents the bird the ■size of life.