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



Distribution. — Oates' Silver Pheasant inhabits an area of low hills 

 in Arakan from the sea coast to the Irrawaddy River as far North 

 as Minbn, but does not apparently ascend the hills to any great 

 elevation, and though stragglers may be found tip to 5,000 feet, it 

 keeps normally to between 1,000 and 3,000 feet. In the extreme 

 Sonth of Arakan it is very rare, and does not come down near the 

 sea coast except when the hills also come right down to this. There 

 are very few skins of this snb-species in collections, and it is there- 

 fore difficult to define its area. In the dry zone of Arakan there are 

 no Pheasants, and this may, with some differences which exist in the 

 country ISorth and South of Minbu, account for the constant 

 difference in type between williamsi and oatesi. 



The only five specimens named oatesi in the British Muserini Col- 

 lection are all from the area restricted to this sub-species, and are 

 all correctly named. 



GENNiEUS LINEATUS SHARPEI. 



Grant's Silver Pheasant. 

 2 Plate iii. No. 3. 



Gennoius sharioei. — Oates, Man. Game B., i, p. 357 (1898); Oates, 

 Ibis (1903) p. 101 ; Ghigi, Mem. Acad. Bologna (6) v, p. 140 

 (1908). 



Tyjrie s , B. Mus., No. 189.5.10.1703, Dargwin. 

 . I)escri]]tion : adult male. — This sub-species is nearer to Uneatus 

 than to any other, but it is also the first of the Northern forms to 

 show the transformation of the vermiculations into bold lines of 

 black and white, quite different in character from the duller toned 

 barring of the Western forms. The whole upper plumage is barred, 

 or perhaps one should say lined, throughout with black and white, 

 the lines much about the same in width, but the black, if anything, 

 predominating, some birds looking very dark. The black under 

 parts are very freely marked with white in bold longitudinal streaks 

 on breast and flanks, especially on the sides of the upper breast, far 

 more so even than any of the whiter forms in the North, and show- 

 ing a distinct approach to the Annam birds which again ru.n into 

 the Hainan ivhiteheadi which has the feathers here pure white. 



Adult female. — Similar to that of Uneatus but at once easily 

 distinguished by having the lower parts a smoky blackish brown 

 instead of bright chestnut brown ; the feathers are however streaked 

 with white throughout as in that species. 



The tail is more like that of the female of rvfipes, with very bold, 

 richly marked outer tail feathers, though the central rectrices are 

 like those of Uneatus^ 



