446 BRITISH BIRDS. 



species, or we may come to the conclusion that the presence or absence of 

 a white collar is not an important character. There appears to be only 

 five species in the subgeneric group to which the Common Pheasant 

 belongs. P. versicolor is confined to the central and southern islands of 

 Japan, and may at once be distinguished by its unspotted metallic green 

 uuderparts ; it is somewhat closely allied to P. elegans from the provinces 

 of Setchuen and Yunnan, in South-west China, which principally differs in 

 having the flanks golden brown, barred with black like the other Pheasants. 

 It is not known that either of these species ever has a white ring round the 

 neck; but the Japan bird readily interbreeds with P. torquatus, which 

 seems to be its most nearly allied species. The latter inhabits China, 

 South Siberia, Mongolia, and Thibet east of the meridian of Calcutta. 

 Like the Japanese and the other Chinese species, the prevailing colour of 

 the rump and upper tail-coverts is green, and that of the wing-coverts 

 bluish grey, but the breast is copper-coloured as well as the flanks, dividing 

 the green of the throat from that of the belly. This species may be divided 

 into several races, of which the typical one with the white eye-stripe and 

 the white ring round the neck inhabits South-east Siberia, East Mongolia, 

 and East China. In South-east Thibet and West China P. torquatus var. 

 decollatus occurs, which is distinguished by the absence both of the white 

 eye-stripe and the white ring round the neck. In North-east Thibet 

 P. torquatus var. vlangalii occurs, differing from its allied races in having 

 the centre of the back and shoulders unspotted, and in possessing traces of 

 a white collar at the back of the neck. The Formosan Pheasant has also 

 been dignified with a name, P. torquatus var. formosanus ; but it only differs 

 from the typical form in having a paler ground-colour to the upper back 

 and flanks, which are pale buffish white instead of brownish buff. Examples 

 from Hankow and the Corea are intermediate. In Mongolia, west of the 

 meridian of Calcutta, and in Turkestan P. mongolicus occurs, which may 

 always be known by its nearly white wing-coverts,, and which, like all the 

 Pheasants west of the meridian of Calcutta, has the prevailing colour of the 

 rump and upper tail-coverts red instead of green. The typical form is 

 found in North-west Mongolia and the eastern portion of Russian Tur- 

 kestan, and is distinguished by having a broad white ring nearly round 

 the neck, but interrupted in front. The north-east portion of its range 

 probably impinges upon the north-west portion of the range of P. torquatus. 

 South of the Thian-Shan Mountains, in Chinese Turkestan, P. mongolicus 

 var. shawi occurs, which differs from the typical form in having no white 

 ring on the neck, and no green reflections on the upper tail-coverts (cha- 

 racters which the typical form may owe to interbreeding with P. torquatus} ; 

 but west of this stupendous chain it meets the typical P. mongolicus in 

 South Russian Turkestan. Here the two races have apparently interbred 

 and produced an intermediate form, P. mongolicus var. insignis (P. chry- 



