EIXGNECKED PHEASANT 573 



Avhole neck rose buff, with narrow feather tippings of black; feathers of upper 

 back with concentric marks of rusty red, black, and pinkish white; feathers of 

 lower back, rump and outer surface of closed wing, black-centered, dark yellowish 

 brown near ends, and margined with drab or white; tail long and pointed, barred 

 irregularly with black and pinkish brown or dull broAvn; flight feathers broadly 

 and irregularly barred with light or dark brown and dull white ; lining of wing 

 dull wliito and pale broAni ; under surface of body pale yellowish broA\ni, lightest 

 on middle of belly, the whole finely vermiculated \nth dusky, heaviest on breast ; 

 sides and flanks coarsely marked with broA\niish black. Male : Total length 33.00 

 inches (838 mm.); folded wing 9.00 (228); bill along culmen 1.25 (31.7); tarsus 

 2.75 (69.7). Female: Total length 20.50 (520); folded wing 7.56 (192); bill 

 along culmen 1.00 (25.4); tarsus 2.44 (61.9) (one specimen of each). Juvenile 

 plumage: Upper surface brownish black with yellowish brown shaft streaks 

 and feather marginings; feathers on sides of head and neck, and fore-neck, 

 yellowish white, margined with black; chin and fore-throat white; tail barred 

 with brownish black and reddish brown; wing as in adult female; breast 

 yellowish brown, tinged with rusty; feathers of sides and flanks marked con- 

 centrically with dull white, brownish black and buflfy brown; middle of belly 

 yellowish white; thighs and under tail coverts, pale buff. Natal plumage: 

 Upper surface dark yellowish brown with three longitudinal stripes along top 

 of head and back, the middle one brownish black, the outer ones black; a 

 conspicuous black streak on ear region; bar in front of wing and two others 

 on wing, black; under surface of body sulphurj' white, bufly on chest, sides and 

 flanks; spot on thigh black. 



Marks for field identification — Size of body between that of a grouse and 

 quail, but Avith tail feathers greatly elongated. Male with black appearing head, 

 white collar, bronzy breast, black-spotted yellow sides, and vnih many narrow 

 sharp bars of black on tail. Female predominantly brown-colored, sliglitly scaled 

 on back, but uniformly pale brown on breast (pi. 16). 



Voice — Of male: a sharp, but weak, metallic "crow." 



Nest — On ground in sheltered situation in- a grain or alfalfa field or weed 

 patch ; constructed of leaves or grass. 



Eggs — 7 to 15, ovate in shape, averaging in inches, 1.61 by 1.31 (in milli- 

 meters, 40.8 by 33.2) ; color plain buff or greenish buff (Davie, 1900, p. 180). 



General distribution — Native in lower Amur, Manchuria, Korea, and east- 

 ern Mongolia, south through eastern China to Canton. Introduced and well estab- 

 lished in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and, locally, in California (modi- 

 fied from Dresser, 1903, p. 666). 



Distribution in California — Introduced and now established in various locali- 

 ties in the north coast counties from Mendocino to the Oregon line ; also : in the 

 Santa Clara Valley, near San Jose ; near PortervUle, Tulare County ; Bakersfield, 

 Kern County ; northern Owens Valley, Inyo County ; and possibly several other 

 •localities (see p. 33). 



Since the Ring-necked Pheasant* has been introduced and become 

 established in a number of places in California, we deem it desirable 



* The true identity of the "Ring-necked" Pheasants introduced into California is not 

 yet definitely settled. The name Phasianus torquatus. as the one most commonly used, has 

 been adopted by us tentatively, until such time as California-taken specimens can be com- 

 pared with Asiatic wild birds. There exist in the Old World several near-related species 

 with white neck rings, any one of which may have been imported. It is also not unlikely 

 that two or more of these races have been bred together in captivity, and mongrel stock, 

 of various origins, imported, at least in part, in the attempts to colonize the state. Our 

 stock may thus not be of any one pure breed. 



