THE EARED-PHEASANTS. 253 



sea-level. It is extremely sociable in its habits, and it is said 

 that forty or fifty may be found, roosting in company, on the 

 pine-trees. 



Abbe David informs us that this white Crossoptilon is only 

 met with in some of the wooded localities of China, on the 

 high mountains of Western Sze-chuen, in the neighbourhood 

 of Moupin and Ta-tsien-lou, where its existence is protected 

 by the superstitious respect of the natives. It is a very gre- 

 garious bird, loving to live in company with many of its 

 kind, even when engaged in rearing its young, and it does 

 not wander far from the place where it is bred. It feeds on 

 leaves, roots, grains, and insects. Fortunately for its safety, the 

 flesh of this Eared-Pheasant is but moderately good to eat, and 

 sportsmen prefer the smaller Pheasants {Fhasianus) as game, 

 since they are more widely distributed and easier to procure. 



II. THE WHITE-TAILED EARED-PHEASANT. CROSSOPTILON 

 LEUCURUM. 



Crossoptilon leucunim, Seebohm, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, No. iv. 

 p. xvii. (1892); Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 

 294 (1893). 



Adult Male. — Distinguished from C. tibetafium by having the 

 greater part of the tail-feathers white, all being pure white, 

 with black extremities glossed with purplish-blue. 



Adult Female. — Has the white on the tail-feathers less exten- 

 sive, and the middle and outer pairs have the inner webs grey, 

 while all are tipped and margined with dark grey. 



Range.— Eastern Tibet; met with between the Sok Pass 

 and Chiamdo, also on the plateau between the Sok Pass and 



Lhassa. 



The typical examples of this apparently perfectly distinct 

 species were obtained by Captain Bower and Dr. Thorold 

 between the Sok Pass and Chiamdo, and similar specimens 

 were collected by Prince Henry of Orleans and M. Bonvalot a 

 few years before on the plateau between the Sok Pass and 



