Distribution of the True Pheasants. 397 



typical Ph. mongolicus than Ph. turcestanicas, inhabits the 

 southern part of Dzungaria, westwards as far as the basin of 

 Lake Ebinor, and eastwards to Guchen. 



The Tian-Shan forms its southern boundary, on the other 

 side of which Ph, tarimensis is found, and to the south-west, 

 west, north-west, and north it is divided by the Boro-Khoro 

 and Alatau Mts. from the typical Ph. mongolicus. 



16. Phasianus tarimensis Pleske. {Tarim Pheasant.) 



Ph. shawi : 1877, Przewalski, Proc. Imp. Russ. Geogr. S. 

 (Russ.) xiii. p. 275 (Lob-nor) (nee Elliot, 1870). 



Ph. tarimensis: 1883, Przewalski, From Zuissan through 

 Khami to Tibet (Russ.), p. 95 (descr. nulla) ; 1888, Pleske, 

 P. Z. S. p. 415; 1893, Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. p. 327; 1899, 

 Kozlow, Res. Imp. Russ. Geogr. S. Exped. C. As. (Russ.) ii. 

 pp. 74, 286 (Konche-Daria) ; 1903, Dresser, Man. p. 662 

 (subsp. of Ph. persicus). 



This Pheasant is confined to the eastern parts of Chinese 

 Turkestan — namely, the lower Tarim and Cherchen-Daria 

 and the lakes Bagraeh-kul and Lob-nor. It was discovered 

 by Przewalski, but, so far as I know, its first description was 

 published by Pleske. 



Prom Ph. vhtngalu in the south-east it is divided by the 

 enormous wall of the Altyn-Tag, and from Ph. semitorquatus 

 on the north and Ph. mongolicus on the north-west by the 

 equally high Tian-Shan ranges. To the east the Kum-Tag 

 sands form its boundary from the grey-rumped Ph. satscheu- 

 ensis, and on the west, somewhere on the middle Tarim, its 

 range coalesces with that of the rufous-rumped Ph. shawi. 



In its appearance Ph. tarimensis, with its greenish-buffy 

 tinge on the rump, seems somewhat intermediate between the 

 western coppery-red and the eastern olive-grey rumjKid birds ; 

 but it is evidently much more closely allied to the first- 

 named group, especially to Ph. shawi, and is quite readily 

 distinguished from all its neighbours by its yellowish-brown 

 wing-coverts. Ph. sham has the coverts somewhat yellowish 

 white, Ph. mongolicus has them silvery greyish white, Ph. 

 vlangalii ashy grey somewhat tinged with greenish, and 

 Ph. satscheuensis lavender-grey. 



