PUC DARWIN I .
PUCRASIA DARWIN!
D A RW IN ’®-PUCRAS vPHEASANT.-
PUCRASIA D A RW IN ! Proc. Zool. Soc. (1872) p. .
H ab. Mountains of Ningpo, Province of Che-Kiang, China ( S winhoe) .
F rom the same range of mountains behind .Ningpp which , produced, the Calophasis Elliott, Mr. Swinhoe has succeeded in obtaining
another member of the Phasianida;, examples of which, sent together with those of Elliot’s Pheasant,, are now in. my possession.
This new dtecòyery is ' a species of Puerdm, and makes the fourth now known of the genus. It is closest to the P . xanlhospila ;
but differs :from that bird by wanting .the yellow on the neck, And also in the deep reddish buff of the flanks and abdomen. Other
characters besides this exist, and cause it readily to be distinguished from its allies.
This new species appears to represent, oh the eastern Chinese ranges, the buff-spotted Pucras o f the more western portion of
that mighty empire: and this is somewhat strange; for, being intermediate in plumage between the P. mnthospila and P . macrolopha
of India; we should naturally have looked for it in a region lying between those inhabited by the species ju st mentioned.
“ Compared with a specimen of P . mnthospila from Pekin,” says • Mr. Swinhoe, “ the occipital crest is much darker, some of the
feathers:'with a central yellow streak ; cnneate feathers of the neck much shorter, without tinge of yellow ; • those of back and rump
much broader; sides of the body washed with a warm sienna, instead o f lemon-white, and more narrowly streaked with black;
ruiùp-featbers shorter and broader, mottled instead of streaked with black ; a single line of black feathers, running down the middle
of the rump, margined with grey and patched in the centre with chestnut, with a pale streak running through ; of a larger size,
with larger legs and feet ; , wings and tail differ in detail òf colour and markings. ’
The small group to whicli this species belongs, although not remarkable for any brilliancy of plumage, are peculiar in the long
crest and ear-tufts, which, when ei-ected, give to the bird a rather eccentric appearance. In disposition they are rather wild, and do
not become' readily domesticated in diir aviaries ; and I ahi not aware that, any species o f the geflus has ever bred in captivity.
Could they be tamed, they would be valuable birds, as their flesh is white and tender, and they would make acceptable
additions to the menu.
This fine species has been dedicated by Mr Swinhoe to Charles Darwin, Esq., F.R.S., and will worthily help to perpetuate that
celebrated name.
Mr. Swinhoe’s descriptions of the two sexes are as follows
11 Male.—Head coloured as in the other two species, but the bronze encroaching more on the crown ; central occipital crest yellowish
brown, with central yellowish streaks ; |>w|er eyelid covered with minute pure white feathers. White spot on sides of nape as
usual. Feathers of the hind neck white, delicately shaded over with four black- streaks converging to tip, greyer on the back
and rump, thè lines opening into mottling ; some of the feathers covering the rump having a V-mark of black, a pale yellowish
centre, and light chestnut shading. The long uropygials and central tail-feathers greyish white, with a broad margin of chestnut,
flanked inwardly with black and outwardly with narrow white. Rectrices pale French or Kestrel-grey, bordered along the sides with
black edo-ed with grey, and barred at the end with black .conspicuously tipped with white; in the outer feathers the black border
is confluent with the b a r ; in the more central it is broken by the grey extending across; all have more or less black about the
basa! two thirds of the stem. The, two central tail-feathers coloured like .the tail-coverts, but clearer and brighter. Median
feathers of the underparts, from the neck downwards, deep chestnut as usual, lighter and dingier on the abdomen; lateral
feathers reddish buff with four converging black streaks, the two inner ones breaking up into mottling; tibial and. lateral abdominal
with • outer streak very- broad. Under tail-coverts black, marked more or less with deep chestnut, and tipped with a conspicuous
white spot. Scapulars and wing-coverts varying in depth, of chestnut tint and in breadth of black lines ; many of the former and
secondary coverts black, with yellowish central streaks, and margined with chestnut. Primary quills brown, margined with
buff; secondaries moye mottled, with the edging more distinct, with yéllèwish central strea k ; tertiaries mottled and
patched with buff, chestnut- and black. Axillaries and under wing-coverts mottled minutely, and the former streaked, with
light black.
» Fresh male, shot about the middle o f December 1 8 7 !—Length 24 inches; wing 9 2 5 ; tail 9’5, consisting of fourteen rectrices
and two centrals, which in appearance are but a continuation of the tail-coverts advancing gradually to cover the tail ; tarse 3‘4 ;
middle toe and claw 2-9. Bill black ; iris deep brown ; legs and toes deep blackish grey. Crop full of bamboo-leaves, with a
leaf or two of other trees, and a few berries.