926 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
and those to the east of it having blue lower backs. On both sides 
of the line are species with white collars and species without 
white collars, but Latham confounded the eastern white-collared 
species with the western ones. The great Russian traveller, 
Pallas, was the first ornithologist to distinguish the latter by the 
name of Phasianus mongolicus. Both writers regarded them as 
only varieties of the Common Pheasant, a theory confirmed by 
the curious fact that they freely interbreed with each other, and 
produce a fertile progeny. 
Latham remarks of his Ring Pheasant that it is “ pretty 
common at St. Helena’’; but its true habitat is Hastern Asia. 
The Chinese Ring-necked Pheasant is a resident in the valley of 
the Amoor in South-Eastern Siberia, in China, and in Kastern 
-Mongolia and Thibet. There seems to be some historical 
evidence that it was introduced on the Island of St. Helena by 
the Portuguese in 1518.* Latham (Gen. Syn., vol. ii., part ii., 
p-. 715, note), says, on the authority of Forster, ‘‘ introduced by 
the Governor,” but without mentioning the precise date. It was 
probably, however, not very long after the discovery of the 
island, for Capt. Cavendish, who visited St. Helena in June, 
1588, and spent twelve days there, found that Pheasants were 
then abundant there. He says:—‘‘'There are likewise no less 
plenty of Pheasants in the island, which are also very big 
and fat.” + 
At the present time, according to Mr. Melliss (‘St. Helena,’ 
1875, p. 94), ‘‘ they exist abundantly, inhabiting the interior of 
the island, and quite maintain the characteristics mentioned by 
Cavendish. They are protected by game-laws, which permit 
them to be killed on payment of the license for six weeks in the 
summer or autumn -.of each year; and hundreds of them are 
generally killed during one shooting season. ‘They find plenty 
of covert, and generally make their nests in the long tufty fields 
of cow-grass (Paspalum scrobiculatum).” 
After having been thus isolated from the parent stock for 
3738 years, in a very different climate from that of South Siberia, 
* “The island first got its name from the Portuguese, who discovered 
it in the year 1501, on St. Helen’s-day.”—Osbeck, ‘ Voyage,’ vol. u. p. 76. 
According to other authorities the date of its discovery was May 21st, 1502. 
+ ‘Callander’s Voyages,’ vol. i. p. 424 (1776). 
