158 THE BLOOD PHEASANT.
Cere, gape, and palate intense coral red to crimson ; orbital
skin scarlet to orange vermilion ; bill black ; iris red brown ; in
others pale clear hazel ; legs and spurs like the cere, crimson ;
claws dusky.
Female.—Length, 165 to I7'0; expanse, 2I"0 to 230 ; wing,
7-62 ; tail, 5-5 to 60 ; tarsus, 2'6 to 275 ; bill, 0'8 to 09. Weight,
12 ozs. to lib I oz.
Bill black ; cere and orbital skin yellow carmine ; legs intense
carmine ; claws dusky ; iris brown.
Dr. Jerdon is apparently wrong in his remark, above quoted,
that the bill of the adult female is red, for Mr. Hodgson says :—
" One specimen that I obtained in September, and which was by
dissection a female, showed the anomaly of a deep coraline
red bill. Later, I got other specimens showing the same peculiarity
; all these had the cheeks fleshy grey. It is evident to me
that the red bill is a sign of nonage, and that it becomes
gradually black."
It is just possible, however, that the change in the colour of the
bill may be seasonal ; anyhow all Mr. Hodgson's females
obtained in April and May had black bills.
Very young birds have the bill, legs, and cere a dirty grey,
and the eye piece fleshy grey, with a faint crimson tinge.
The spurs of the male are not assumed the first year I think,
as I have received some specimens, males, in perfect plumage
apparently, exhibiting no trace of any spur. I have never seen
more than four spurs on one leg in any specimen.
T H E PLATE conveys, I believe, a good idea of the species.