Distribution of the True Pheasants. 403 



in the form of its supercilia it is somewhat intermediate 

 between the Amoor and East-Chinese birds, and in the 

 completeness of its collar it resembles the former; but in 

 general colour it is by no means intermediate between them, 

 as it is much darker than either, and by this feature alone 

 is, at a glance, distinguishable from the Amoor bird. 

 Further, Ph. alpherakyi (and its subspecies Ph. ussuriensis) 

 have a small, but very good, distinguishing character — the 

 white of the ear-patch. The ranges of Ph. alpherakyi and 

 Ph. karpowi meet, and the possibility of accidental inter- 

 breeding cannot be denied : we know, for instance, that 

 Lyrurus tetrix interbreeds with Layopus albus and Tetrastes 

 bonasia, all three species belonging to distinct genera; but 

 this must be only accidental as no intermediate specimens 

 are known. I have four specimens of the Amoor bird (of 

 both varieties) in my collection, and have closely examined 

 two specimens in the St. Petersburg Academy's Museum 

 and some twenty-five or thirty specimens in the market 

 (brought from Kharbin), but I have seen no intermediate 

 birds. 



That such an expert in Pheasant-rearing as Mr. Tegetmeier 

 has several times mentioned and has figured London-market 

 specimens (from Kharbin, i. e. true Ph. alpherakyi) under 

 the name of a quite distinct species (Ph. hayenbecki) can be 

 explained only by the fact that the description of Ph. 

 iorquatus mongolicus ( = pallasi) was based on two quite 

 distinct species, and fits the Coreau better than the Amoor 

 species. 



So this Pheasant must have a new name to itself, and I 

 propose to call it after Mr. S. N. Alpheraky, so well known 

 as a naturalist, who first kindly called my attention to this 

 group of birds, and sent to me for description the first speci- 

 men of this species. 



20. Phasianus alpherakyi ussuriensis, subsp. now 

 ( Ussurian Pheasant.) 



Ph. torqwtus: 1863, Radde, Festl. Orn. Sib. Or. p. 303 

 (Port May) (pt., cum amurensi et chinensi avibus) ; 1881, 



