AND ITS NEAREST ALLIES. 185 



Habitat. This species seems to be the only represen- 

 tative of the genus on the continent, where it is found in 

 Siam, Tenasserim and the whole Malay Peninsula with the 

 inclusion of Salauga and Penang. Moreover it is found in 

 Western and Northern Sumatra (Carl Bock, Highlands of 

 Padang , and Dr. Hagen , Deli). 



The following specimens of this species are making part 

 of the collection in the Leydeii Museum : An adult male from 

 Tenasserim , of a very early date ; an adult male having been 

 kept in captivity and after its death presented to the Mu- 

 seum by Mr. J. N. Blaauw at Ryswyk (Holland) in 1885; 

 a younger male, having not quite assumed the plumage of 

 the adult, Sumatra, 1858; a female from the continent; 

 another female, probably also belonging to the present 

 species, Sumatra, 1858. Moreover 1 have had the good for- 

 tune of comparing two adult males , an immature male , 

 above described , and two females , all said to come from 

 Tenasserim , which five specimens are making part of the 

 bird-collection at the Zoological Garden at Amsterdam. 



CRITICAL REMARKS ABOUT THE LITERATURE HITHERTO 

 PUBLISHED ON THIS SUBJECT. 



As we learn from the much entangled synonymy of the 

 different species, the literature of this genus has quite a 

 history , and it is not without interest to trace it by a 

 short review of the more important publications upon this 

 subject '), the more as this review will explain how I arrived 

 at the standpoint of acknowledging four different species 

 instead of only two (Elliot and Grant) or three (Sclater). 



The first species of this genus was published by Sir 

 George Staunton in Macartney's » Embassy to China", under 

 the name of Fire-hacked Pheasant. The bird in question, 



1) Unfortunately the literature on this subject is rather incompletely repre- 

 sented in our Dutch libraries and I am, therefore, much indepted to Dr. P. 

 L. Sclater, Dr. R. Bowdler Sharpe and Prof. Th. Studer for kindly furnishing 

 me with extracts from publications which I was unable to consult myself. 



Notes from the Leyden JMuseum, Vol. XVII. 



