NOVITATES ZOOLOalCAE XXIV. 1917. 449 



what arbitiaiy,* though I know that the authors and many other ornith- 

 ologi.st.s will not agree with my view. I agree with RothschUd, Laubniann, 

 and others, who consider all true pheasants subspecies of one and the same 

 species. In my opinion, there can be no doubt whatever that all forms in 

 the following list from colchicus to turcestanicus and bergii are subspccifically 

 allied ; another allied group arc the grey-runipcd forms from elegans to 

 saischtuensis — but both groups are in sonic way connected by the rare tari- 

 mensis. The transition from the broun- winged colchicus group to the 

 white-whiged ■persiciis is beautifully developed. 



One can have different opmions about versicolor, but 1 have preferred to 

 treat it as a " species." 



7. List oJ Forms of "True Pheasants." 



After a proionged study of the genus Phasianns, I have arrived at the 

 following list, but, as I was unable to comjjare the material in other European 

 and Russian collections, several forms are only known to me from descriptions, 

 and it is thus chiefly based on the material in the Tring and Briti.sh Museums, 

 the only ones in Jingland which contain good series of Pheasants, and both 

 very rich in specimens. 



My list does not differ very widely from one published by Ogilvie-Grant 

 in 1912 in British Game Birds and Wildjoui (Vol. 1. of The Gun at Home and 

 Abroad), and unknown to most ornithologists. 



1. Phusianus colchicus colchicus L. 1758. 



Synonym: Ph. colch. lorenzi But. 1904. 



South-eastern and eastern shores of Black Sea and thence eastwards along 

 the Rivers Rion and Tchorok to the Kura and Araxcs and their tiibutarics. 

 Introduced in most countries of Europe, N. America, New Zealand. 



2. Phasianus colchicus septentrionalis Lor. 1888. 



Northern slopes of Caucasus, especially valleys of Kuban, Terek, Kuma, 

 south to Apcheron, north as far as mouths of Wolga. 



3. Phasianus colchicus ialischcnsis Lor. 1888. 



Lowlands of Talisch (Lenkoran) to Ghilan and Masanderan in North 

 Persia. 



4. Phasianus colchicus persicus Sew. 1875. 

 North-eastern Persia and south-western parts of Transcaspia. 



5. Phasianus colchicus frincipalis Scl. 1885. 

 Synonyms: Ph. komaroivii Bogd. 1886. 



Ph. principalis bogdanowi But. 1894. 

 Lowlands of Lower Murgab and Tcdjen, streams coming from the Darah- 

 Gaz and Kalat-i-Nadiri, north formerly to Geok-tepe and Ahal-tekke, east 

 to Repetek, according to Buturlin. 



* For example, Alph^raki & Bianchi keep talyschensis specifically distinct from P. c. 

 colchicus ! 



