264 Zoologica : N. Y. Zoological Society. [I ; 15 



with the Francolins, European Quail and Partridges as the sub- 

 family Perdicinae. 



With no gradual transition, but abruptly as it was unex- 

 pected, the student of moult in the group of pheasants, finds in 

 Lophopho7ms and the succeeding genera, the tail feathers moult- 

 ed from without, inwards. Just as in Perdix and Ithaginis one 

 finds the outer pair or pairs of juvenile rectrices or, in adults, 

 those of the previous year, persisting for some time after the 

 others have been shed, so in this second sub-family it is the 

 inner pair which is the last to fall. The sub-family Phasianinae, 

 as I define it, includes Lophophorus (-\-Chalcophasis) , Acomus, 

 Lophura (-{-Diardigallus) , Lobiophasis, Crossoptilon, Gennaeus, 

 Catreus, Pucrasia, Syrmaticus {-\-Calophasis,-\-Phasianus, par- 

 tim), Phasianus, Chrysolophus, and Gallus. 



When I first examined the moulting rectrices of Argusianus 

 and Polyplectron I was at a loss to explain the apparent con- 

 fusion, and my new factor seemed about to fall to pieces. The 

 feathers appeared to sprout at random. But nevertheless I tabu- 

 lated them in the order of their growth in every individual which 

 showed such a condition and when the results were compared 

 I was delighted to find a wholly unexpected agreement, and 

 the third sub-family took form, to which I have given the name 

 Argusianinae. This includes Polyplectron, Chalcurus, Argusi- 

 anus and Rheinardius. In these birds the moult of the tail be- 

 gins with the 3rd from the central pair and proceeds outward 

 and inward, the 2nd and 1st pairs falling respectively between 

 the 4th and 5th, and the 5th and 6th pairs. 



Perhaps most distinct from all the other groups, and well 

 placed last in the series of Phasianidae genera, are the Peafowl. 

 Pavo is set apart by many characters, and it is gratifying to 

 find that this isolation is borne out in the moult of the tail, by 

 which we may characterize it Pavoninae. The 2nd pair from 

 the outer falls first, and there follows a regular progression in- 

 ward, the outer pair being moulted just before the inner ones. 

 This sequence is invariable, both in the ten pairs of rectrices of 

 the cock, and the nine pairs of the peahen. 



We may thus sum up the criteria of sequence of rectrice 

 moult as follows, numbering from the central pair of tail- 



