PHEA.SANT. 93 



Belgium, Denmark, Sweden (where it has been introduced 

 by Mr. Oscar Dickson), and even near Christiania, in Norway. 

 In France* and Italy it also maintains itself under similar 

 protection ; but it is said to exist in a perfectly wild state on 

 the hills of Aleria, in Corsicaf ; Spain and Portugal being 

 apparently the only European countries where attempts at 

 acclimatization have not proved successful. Some of these 

 more recent introductions on the Continent may have con- 

 sisted of fertile crosses with the Chinese Ring-necked 

 Pheasant ; but as regards the greater part of Europe, and 

 the British Islands, there can be no doubt that the original 

 species was P. coldiicus. 



Before going further, it may be as well to consider briefly 

 the range of our Pheasant, and the other members of the 

 same group. It has been shewn that P. colchicus, one of 

 the species- without the white collar, inhabits wet marshy 

 forests as far east as Astrabad, beyond which it now meets 

 with the barrier of the desert of Mariana. East of the 

 great Tian Shan range, on the plains and in the jungles 

 of Eastern Turkestan, especially in the neighbourhood of 

 Kashgar and Yarkand, is found another collarless species, 

 P. shawi, which even when taken young is one of the most 

 untamable of birds in captivity. J Mr. D, G. Elliot 

 (Monogr. Phasianidae, ii.) considers that this is the origi- 

 nal stock of the group, and to it may be united a doubt- 

 fully distinct and at all events closely allied species 

 described from two headless specimens, under the name 

 of P. insignis, also found in Yarkand. These forms 

 lead to P. mongolicus, a well-marked species with a broad 

 white collar, an amethystine throat, and a greenish rump, 

 which is found near Bokhara, on the Syr-Daria (the 

 ancient Jaxartes), and thence, past Lake Balkash, through- 

 out that portion of Mongolia which lies to the north of Gobi. 

 On the Amu-Daria (the ancient Oxus) is found a remarkably 



* The bone-beds of Sanson in Gascony have yielded remains which have been 

 referred to two species of Phasianus. 

 t H, H. Giglioli, 'Ibis,' 1881, p. 207. 

 X Scully, ' Stray Feathers,' 1876, p. 179. 



