The tibial plumes and some of the vent feathers regularly
and closely barred hair-brown and dull buff; the lower tailcoverts
brown, rather dark on the terminal one-third, where
they are freckled and blotched with ferruginous buff, and with
a more or less conspicuous oval, purer buff spot or drop just
at the tip.
The lower surface of the quills and their greater lower
coverts grey brown, with a few pale buff spots or markings on
the inner webs at or towards their margins ; the rest of the
wing-lining deep brown, profusely spotted with ferruginous buff.
From the female of tnelanocephalus it is at once distinguished
by the black and buff of the upper surface, so much richer
and darker in tone ; altogether different from the comparatively
grey upper surface of melanoccplialus. From the female of
satyra it equally differs; on the upper surface it is blacker
and less ferruginous; on the lower surface it is paler and
wholly wants the warm ferruginous buff of that species, which
in the present is replaced by greyish creamy. After they have
once been seen, unlike the females of the Gallofihasis section of
the Etip/ocami, the females of the several species of Ceriornis
can be as easily recognized as the males.
The young males show the transition from the female to the
male plumage, just as do those of melanoccplialus and satyra.
Two OTHER species of this superb genus are known, C. tcmmincki,
The Chinese Crimson Tragopan from Western and
South-Wrestern China, and C. caboti, the Buffy Tragopan,
from South-Eastern China.