1914] Beebe: Preliminary Pheasant Studies. 271 



Lophophorus impeyanus (Latham). 

 Lophophorus Ihuysii Verreaux and St. Hilaire. 

 Lophophorus sclateri Jerdon. 



As synonyms of L. impeyanus I class refulgens, chambanus, 

 mantoui and obscurus. In regard to the much-discussed ques- 

 tion of impeyanus vs. refulgens and chambanus, aroused by La- 

 tham's black-backed monaul, ^ it is surprising that the attention 

 of the opposing factions has been confined solely to the descrip- 

 tions and plates in the earlier works of this author. Latham 

 himself settles all doubts on this question in his General History 

 of Birds^ where he says : "In the drawing of Lord Mountnorris, 

 is one of the male, with a large patch of white in the middle of 

 the back, which I have not seen in any other representation of 

 this singularly beautiful species." 



So the assumption^ is correct that Latham was describing 

 and picturing a black-backed individual, but the acceptance of 

 the several black-backed male birds from Chamba as a distinct 

 species is an error. Examination of all the known specimens 

 show as great a variability inter se as the difference between 

 them and normal male impeyanus. This is evident from the 

 following tabulation of the characters supposed to be diagnostic 

 of the black-backed birds : 



"Under-parts entirely glossed with metallic golden-green." 

 This gloss may be 



(a) Typically like the above description. 



(b) Confined to the breast and irregularly down one side. 



(c) Confined to the throat and upper breast. 



"Upper tail-coverts chestnut, tipped with golden-green." 



(a) Typically like above description. 



(b) An excess of green with a little basal rufous. 



(c) As in normal impeyanus. 



"Lower back golden-green." 



This whole area is decidedly abnormal, as the metallic tips 

 are so very small that they are completely separated and 

 dominated by the loose, fluffy basal down, giving the ap- 

 pearance of half the normal number of feathers of this 

 area having been lost. No such scanty, abortive metallic 



1. Latham, Gen. Syn. Suppl. I. 1787, p. 208, pi. 114. id. Index Orn. 

 II. 1790, p. 632. 



2. Gen. His. Vol. VIII. 1823, pp. 210-11. 



3. Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. XXII. p. 280. 



