OF THE BEITISH ISLANDS. 



51 



Guinea Fowl, with the Domestic Fowl and the Capercaillie. Old females some- 

 times assume the plumage of the male, whilst in extremely rare instances the 

 male has been known to assume that of the female. (Conf. Ibis, 1897, p. 438). 

 Males subject to considerable variation in colour, ranging from pure white through 

 every intermediate stage to the normal colour. Males moult in June and July ; 

 females in July and August. 



Phasianus colchicus and Allies. 



SPECIES ou BACK. 



Phasianus colchicus .. 



Phasianus colchicus tal- 

 ischensis 



GEOGRAPHICAL AREA. 



Basin of the Caspian Sea, and 

 southern and eastern por- 

 tions of basin of Black Sea : 

 Corsica 



Talisch, Mazanderan, southern 

 coast of Caspian ... 



Phasianus persicus ... North-east Persia 



Phasianus principalis.. 



Phasianus zerafshani- 

 cus . 



Phasianus shawi 



Phasianus tarimensis. . . 



Phasianus chrysomelas 



North-west Afghanistan and 

 North-east Persia. 



Valley of the Zarafshan, Turk- 

 estan 



Chinese Turkestan 



Tarim Valley, Eastern Turk- 

 estan 



Oxus Valley . . . 



POINTS OP DISTINCTION 



(MALES). 



Wing coverts reddish-brown; 

 rump and upper tail coverts 

 purplish-red ; middle of 

 breast and flanks dark pur- 

 plish-green. 



Middle of breast and flanks 

 purplish-carmine ; breast 

 feathers with purple margins 



Lesser and median wing cov- 

 erts white ; middle of breast 

 and flanks as in preceding. 



Wing coverts white ; rump 

 bronze-red ; breast feathers 

 broadly tipped with purplish- 

 bronze. 



No dark greenish-purple mar- 

 gins to the scapulars ; mar- 

 gins to breast feathers 

 narrow. 



Lesser and median wing cov- 

 erts white or pale buff; 

 breast feathers margined 

 with dark green ; centre of 

 breast and the flanks dark 

 green. 



Lesser and median wing cov- 

 erts yellowish-brown; breast 

 feathers without marginal 

 bands. 



Mantle having triangular spots 

 of dark green at the point of 

 each feather ; those of the 

 breast and flanks widely 

 tipped with the same colour. 



