THE MONGOLIAN PHEASANT 



fact more so than half-bred, as the more the MongoHan 

 predominates in the hybrid the more vigorous the bird. The 

 Mongolian crosses well with the Chinese, with the Japanese, 

 the first cross being the best one. There is no reason why 

 the Mongolian should not hybridise with other species, such 

 as the Amherst, Reeves, Prince of Wales, etc. Many game- 

 preservers procure pure Mongolian cocks, and introduce these 

 amongst the common Pheasants of the woodlands, which, as 

 stated elsewhere, is a hybrid, between the Chinese and black- 

 necked Pheasant, but it is better to cross P. Mongolicus with 

 P. Colckicus (the old English Pheasant), introducing fresh 

 stock from time to time. 



Adult Ma/e. — Is easily distinguished from all the maroon 

 and red-rumped species previously described, by having a 

 broad white ring (interrupted in front) around the neck. 

 Otherwise it most resembles P. Persicus, but the mantle 

 and chest and breast are bronzy orange red, glossed with 

 purple carmine in one light and green in the other. The 

 rump is a dark maroon, strongly glossed with green, shooting 

 into purple ; the throat is purplish bronzy red to the breast, 

 and the flank feathers are tipped with very dark green, and 

 in the middle of the breast and the sides of the belly are dark 

 green. It is, moreover, rather a large bird. Total length, 

 36.5 inches ; wing, 9.6 ; tail, 22 ; tarsus, 2.8. 



Adult Female. — Like the female of the P. Chrysomelus, 

 but there is a black spot near the extremity of each feather 

 of the upper mantle and a black bar across the middle, instead 

 of a broad black sub-marginal border. Total length, 26 

 inches; wing, 8.5; tail, 12.3; tarsus, 2.5. 



Range. — From the valley of the Syr- Darya, across the 

 basin of Lake Balkash, as far east as Lake Saisan and the 

 Valley of the Black Irtish, and southwards to the Valley of 

 the lie and Issik Kul. 



39 



