Mr. D. Q. Elliot on a new Species of Pheasant. — 918 
Legs and feet lead-colour inclining to flesh-colour. Bare skin 
3 face scarlet, with a patch of green feathers under and behind 
e eye. 
one, who has succeeded in bringing to 
Europe many of the rarer species of this family, that we are 
indebted for the opportunity of being able to describe this new 
fo he specimens are both males, and, although now 
moulting, are 1n very good condition, but very wild, and en- 
deavour to hide from all who approach their inclosure. 
In its geographical distribution this new species appears to 
be intermediate between the P. decollatus, lately described by 
r. Swinhoe, from eastern Sechuen, and the P. Sladeni, from 
Yunan, mentioned in the manuscript notes of Mr. Anderson, 
the present curator of the Calcutta Museum. The P. elegans 
might be supposed, from its appearance, to be a hybrid be- 
tween P. versicolor and P. colchicus; but, unfortunately for 
such an hypothesis, neither of these species is found anywhere 
near the locality inhabited by the present one, and consequently 
a hybrid between them in Sechuen is simply impossible. The 
P. elegans. differs from all other pheasants with which I am 
acquainted, in its red mantle bordered with green on the tip 
of each feather, in its greenish-grey rump, and in the green 
breast restricted almost to a median line. These are the pro- 
minent differences; but there are various minor ones also, 
while the general distribution of the colours of its plumage is 
very different from that of all other members of this family. 
is bird furnishes one of the missing links (mentioned in 
my communication to the Zoological Society lately published 
upon some other new pheasants) forming the chain of descent 
from P. Shawii through the various other forms now known 
to us. But very few more are required to enable us to trace 
the line of descent without any interruption. It is to be hoped 
that, as the exact locality of the P. elegans is well known, we 
may be able to procure es and have them transmitted to 
Europe, and thus preserve and perpetuate the species. Al- 
though the female is not known to us, I cannot doubt that it 
would resemble in general appearance the hen of P. colchicus, 
from which also the female of versicolor only differs in having 
a greenish shade, observable in certain lights, upon its plu- 
mage. In size the present species is about equal to the ordi- 
