664 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIII. 



undoubtedly from what I have personally learnt from long residence 

 in their country, it would seem that young birds are more chestnut 

 than old ones, and that young cocks are brighter, darker, and 

 more boldly marked than hens which they, otherwise, closely 

 resemble. 



It will be seen that in the following pages I admit altogether 

 only eight species of this genus, Gennceus, together with eight sub- 

 species as follows : — 



Species. Sub-species. 



albocristatus. 



leucomelanus. 



melanonotus. 



horsfieldi ... ... cuvieri. 



williamsi. 

 lineatus ... ... oatesi. 



shar]3ei. 

 nycthemerus ... ... ripponi. 



rufipes. 



annamensis. 



beli. 

 (edwardsi ?) ... ... (edivardsi ?) 



ivhiteheadi. 

 swinhoii. 



As regards the sub-species, these are somewhat arbitrarily allotted 

 to certain species, as in manj^ cases they are half-way between two 

 •extreme forms, so that it is impossible to say to which they are 

 nearest. This is especially the case in regard to shmyei, annamensis 

 and beli. In general appearance these three are very closely allied 

 and would at first sight appear to be sub-species of one and the same 

 bird, and they might with equal reason be all placed under either 

 nycthemerus or lineatus. Indeed the two latter might almost equally 

 correctly be placed as sub-species of ivhiteheadi, a Pheasant inhabit- 

 ing Hainan, an island far to the East of them, for they show a 

 striking affinity to this bird in their white breast plumes. The 

 present arrangement seems, however, to be on the whole the most 

 convenient, and as all classification is, or should be, made entirely 

 on the grounds of convenience, it is probably therefore the most 

 scientific. 



Of the species admitted leucomelanus alone is at all doubtful, and 

 this bird may be considered by some people to be only a sub-species 

 of albocristatus. Of the sub-species I consider ripponi and cuvieri to 

 be rather weak, whilst of beli, annamensis and edivardsi two may 

 have to be suppressed when more material is available. 



Mr. E. W. Oates, who was responsible for the naming of the 

 greater number of Silver and Kalij Pheasants which have been given 



