1922.] I/i/hrids of Goun^ui^. 711 



Phillips, of Wenhani, Mass., U.S.A., on some of his 

 hybiidizing" ex[)eriinonts, a copy of" which the author has 

 kindly sent me. Among other crosses he describes one 

 made hetween "" Gen/urus tnelanot us,'' which he names "the 

 Black Kalij," and Gi'iiifnts nt/cl/temerus, the Silver Pheasant, 

 the latter used as male {)arent : the cross was made in 191o. 

 Eight F. 2 males were reared and kept until the second 

 year, when they assumed adult plumage; tliey were then 

 killed for specimens; the backs only of five birds are shown 

 in illustration, all males, G. nyctJiemerus, G. melanotus, one 



F. 1 and two F. 2, these latter showing the extremes of the 

 variants towards G. lujdhemeras and G. melanotus. F. 1 

 seems to be identical with G. Uneatus (Shan States. Burma 

 and Siam), with rank of a species; whilst F. 2, the nearest 

 variant to nycthenierus, with a long tail, resembles very 

 closely G. rufpes (Ruby mines, Burma), ranking as sub- 

 species from the natural Iwrsfieldi-nyfthenierKs intercrossing, 

 the other F. 2 appears, and is stated in the text to be, very 

 similar to (r. melanotus, though some vermiculation is trace- 

 able on the feathers. Specimens of G. Uneatus., rufipes, and 

 melanotus are in the Natural History Museum at South 

 Kensington. In the Catalogue of Birds, vol. xxii,, where 



G. melanotus is placed under G. muthura { = melanotus), the 

 breast-feathers of the male mutliura are described as "dirt}' 

 white and lanceolate,^' which is accurate for the Museum 

 specimens. Evidently, like most of the Pl)easant family, the 

 species varies, for on one skin the blue-l)lack of the upper 

 parts is invaded by a harrow line of white on some of 

 the wing-coverts. It is a matter for regret that Mr. Phillips 

 did not illustrate the breasts of his males, for one is left a 

 little doubtful as to the species used. G. Iwrsfieldi is the 

 true Black Kalij : the underparts are black, the only white 

 occurring are narrow marginal lines across the rump and 

 tail-coverts. Mr. Phillips's paper errs in that his statement is 

 not full enough ; a cross such as he made between v:hite upper 

 parts, black underparts, and lony tail, G. ni/cthemerus, and 

 black upper parts, isabelline lohite underparts, and short tail, 

 G. melanotus, must have produced graded underparts fully as 

 interesting as the segregation of the tail and upper parts. 



