ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



the case of the Silver Pheasants to the recogni- 

 tion of many species that are in reality no more 

 than individual variations. Many names have 

 been shunted into the oblivion of synonyms. 

 The author found that the one sure way to dif- 

 ferentiate sub-families is by observing the molt- 

 ing habits of the tail feathers. For example, in 

 the group of Blood Partridges and Tragopans 

 the tail feathers are molted successively from 

 the central feathers outward, while in all spe- 

 cies belonging to the twelve genera of the sub- 

 family Phasianinae ("Pheasant-like") the molt- 

 ing process is exactly reversed. Now this fact, 

 simple as it is, establishes an absolute line of de- 

 marcation between those two groups, and places 

 the members of each where they belong. The 

 other two groups also are differentiated by their 

 molting processes. 



Naturally, the reader is interested in his op- 

 portunity to become acquainted with the basic 

 classification of the nineteen genera of pheasants 

 of the world, and to learn of the four great 

 groups that nature has developed. Here is a 

 clear diagram of the whole Family: 



First, we are favored with an excellent out- 

 line map of Asia, showing in color all the terri- 

 tory occupied by the group of Tragopans. We 

 observe that the Tragopan home embraces the 

 mountains of Kashmir, Nepal, northern Burma 

 and central China. 



Mr. A. Thorburn s splendid colored plate 

 bursts upon us with a blaze of glory. It repre- 

 sents what seems to us the acme of ornitho- 

 logical art. It is reproduced herewith, though 

 not by the same elaborate process that produced 

 the exquisite colored plates which so richly 

 adorn this work. As it stands in the volume, the 

 original plates leave nothing for either the bird- 

 lover or the art-lover to desire. The genius of 

 the artist cannot be described in words. Not 

 only are his birds exquisitely perfect in draw- 

 ing, coloring and detail, but his landscapes of 

 mountain, rock, tree and sky are equally perfect 

 as works of art. The work of the two English 

 artist-naturalists, G. E. Lodge and A. Thor- 

 burn, is nothing less than marvelous, and this 

 monograph is a monument to their artistic ge- 

 nius, as well as to the efforts of Mr. Beebe and 



ERDICINAE (Quail-like) f 



It centrifugal, from the central j^° ° P a ^ s tndgeS 



3 outward.] [ *• " 



Subfamily PERDICINAE (Quail-like) 

 [Tail mou 

 feathers 



Subfamily PHASIANINAE (Pheasant-like) 

 [Tail moult centripetal, from the outer 

 feathers inward.] 



Eared-Pheasants 



Impeyans 



Kaleege and Silvers 

 Crestless Firebacks . 

 Crested Firebacks . 

 White-tailed Pheasant 

 Junglefowl 

 Koklass Pheasants . 

 Cheer Pheasants 

 True Pheasants 

 Long-tailed Pheasants 

 \ Golden and Amherst 



Subfamily ARGUSIANINAE (Argus-like) f bronze-tailed Peacock Pheasants 

 [Tail moults 3rd from the central pair J Pea ^ ock Pheasan <s ■ ■ • 

 outward and inward.] Ocellated Argus . . . 



^ Argus Pheasants 

 Subfamily Pavoninae (Peafowl-like) 



[Tail moults 6th from the central pair {peafowl 



outward 1 V 



outward.] 



Ithagenes. 

 Tragopan. 



Crossoptilon. 



Lop/iopkorus. 



Gennaeus. 



Acomus. 



Lophura. 



Lobiophasis. 



Gallus. 



Pucrasia. 



Catreus. 



Phasianus. 



Syrmaticus. 



Chrysolophus. 



Chalcurus 

 Polyplectron, 

 Rheinardius 

 Argusianus. 



Pavo. 



This foundation being well and truly laid, the Col. Kuser. The beautful Impeyan Pheasant 



various species may be brought forward and in- is the work of Charles R. Knight, 

 troduced. By way of example, let us choose But to return to our sample species, Tem- 



the aristocratic Temminck's Tragopan. minck's Tragopan. The colored plate shows a 



