- rHAGINIS GEOFF '« g L
ITHJ|GI#IS GEOFFROYII.
G EOF F ROY’S BLOOD-PHEASANT.
ITHAGINIS GEOFFROYII, J. Verr. Bull. Soc. d’Acclim. (1867) p. 709.
H ab . North China, Mou-pin (V e r r e a u x ; D avid) .
T h is blood-Pheasant, being only the second species of this, genus yet. known to ornithologists, was first obtained by M. Dabry, Consul
o f France a t Han-kow, vvho sent his specimens to the Acclimatization S o ciety 'o f Paris, where thg^were described by my friend
Mons. J . P . Verreaux, and named in honour o f M; Albert Geoffroy St.-Hilaire. I t i^ not so handsome a bird as its relative,
hut is hrteresting from befog theljmly representative of the Himalayan species yet disÊovereAin Asia. M. Verreaux, in his article
published in th e Bulletin of the Acclimatization Society, says of this Pheasant that “ it is easy to, sreer by the description which
we give of the two sexes, t h a t ’this species is very distinct from the typical ojie found upon the mountains of the Himalaya,
described first by General Hardwicke in tlie-Linnean Transactions under the name of P/mianus crüentm, and later by Temminck in
thé ‘ Planches Coloriées? as Perdxte cruenta— only that the individual described-by the later author as a female was only a young
male without spurs, fomSgfa brown plumage darker' than that of our new^ species. We are happy to bestow 'upon this beau'tiful
bird (the. second of a genus remaining so long with but a single representative) illustrious name of Geoffroy, as a mark of our
-esteem and friendship for M. Albert Geoffroy St.-Hilaire. I t was in the north o f China, and* the same locality in- which the
Lophophorus Lhuysii is found, that this fine bird was met with. We hope that our wishes for this species, as for the preceding’
one, may be .realized, and that we shall see both living in the superb establishment in the Bois de Boulogne, already so rich in the
products of that country.” No account of the habits or economy has been furnished us ; but doubtless as the adventurous naturalists
wlio are now pursuing their investigations in those remote parts become more familiar with it in its native haunts, they will forward
full accounts of its mode of life, which cannot fail to be interesting to all 'lovers, o f the Gallinaceous birds. The male represented
in the Plate is from a specimen kindly lent to me by Mr. Swinhoe, and the female from one intrusted to me by Prof. Milne-Edwards,
from the collection of the Jardin des Plantes.
■ Père D . * J ^ y ¡sited Mou pin f t t e . 'M ô M . t l ÿ - sent to the M u s » a t i f j l j a pcrfcd serie-, ' containing :..a:iv
specimens of all ages and of both sexes, of this-'.interesting bird.
Male.—Toy) of the head lead-colour, front and line over’ the ,eye extending nearly to the ears black, cheeks lead-colour, with a
central streak o f white. Upper parts grey, each feather with black centres and a central line of white. Throat rufous. Wing-coverts
-pale green, shafts white margined on each side with black. Secondaries grey, mottled near the edges; primaries brown, all the
shafts white. Underparts grey, centres and ends ¿of feathers bght.-'green ; base of feathers black with grey margins,. . Abdomen
greyish brown, Tail greyish brown, feathers . edged with red. Under tail-coverts black at base, the rest d e e p f l& shafts whitei
Bill black. Bare spot about the eye, and feet and legs, blood' red.
Female. Top o f head, the back, and sides o f neck l|ad-colour ; front and throat rufous brown Entire, upper parts brown, finely
mottled with light brown.' Rump slightly lighter than the back. Underparts reddish brown finely mottled with black. Tail blackish
brown finely mottled with light brown and whitish. Under tail-coverts blackish,-with fine lines o f light brown. Biff black. Feet
and legs red.
The male is represented the size of life. Female reduced.