A EJE VISION 01 THE GENUS GENNyEUS. 661 



-true nydhemerus and in the East to ivMteheadi, magnificent birds in 

 which the upper plumage at a slight distance appears to be pure 

 glistening white. These birds, as we should expect, inhabit the 

 highest elevation, and the most open country of all the Silver 

 Pheasants. 



In the country between these two birds and lineatus exist nume- 

 rous varieties and forms, though it is here rather more difficult than 

 in the West of Burmah to define many areas in which we can say 

 that such and such a type will constantly be found to the exclusion 

 of others. 



To the East of the Pegu Yomas and across the Sittang Biver we 

 have a dark bird, little whiter on the whole than lineatus, but with 

 the character of the markings considerably altered, the fine vermicu- 

 lations in that bird giving place to well-defined, though narrow, bars 

 or lines of white and black. As regards the male of this form, it 

 is difficult to distinguish it from the form of Silver Pheasant found 

 to the due North of the range of lineatus, though it is on the whole 

 darker, but the females are quite different, the underparts being red 

 in lineatus and its Northern form, and almost black in this bird. It 

 is therefore worthy of distinction as a sub-species, and will stand as 

 shar]3ei. 



To the East we pass through intervening forms which have been 

 called heli, annamensis and edivardsi to ivhiteheadi. The last bird is 

 mainly white, being distinguished at a glance by the great width 

 and boldness of the few black bars on the tail and upper plumage. 

 The intermediate forms between lohiteheadi and sharpei are distin- 

 guished by the fact that they have far more white on the long 

 feathers at the sides of the upper breasts, a few of their feathers 

 being pure white, a feature which obtains only in these two 

 forms, and in ivhiteheadi. The female of annamensis is like that 

 of horsfieldi with the tail of lineatus. Beli and annamensis only 

 differ in depth of colour, and it is doubtful if both are worthy 

 of separation as sub-species ; move material is required to settle 

 this point. 



I have not been able to examine the tj^pe of " edivardsi, " but it 

 will almost certainly prove to be different to either heli or annamen- 

 sis, if these are themselves different to one another, but, if it is the 

 same, edivardsi having been described in, 96 will have priority over 

 the other names. 



Further, due North, practically from latitude 21^^, we have the 

 multitude of so-called species named by Gates inhabiting the South 

 and North Shan States. These different species, however, have 

 often been named from specimens inhabiting the same place ; some- 

 times, indeed, as in the case of atlayi and rufipes, from birds of the 

 .same flock, and it is qtiite impossible to recognize as valid the 

 numerous names Oates has given. 



