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



coloring occurs on any normal plumage of which I have 

 knowledge. In typical, white-backed individuals a small 

 amount of metallic color sometimes persists on all the 

 white feathers. 



In the presence or absence of the copper collar and the ex- 

 tent of the green mantle there is as great variation as in the 

 above mentioned characters. 



When in Garhwal and Kashmir I did everything in my pow- 

 er^ to learn something of the black-backed Monauls, but of two 

 men who had seen them, one had nothing of interest to relate 

 while the other stated that the bird was feeding with several 

 white-backed individuals. No female has ever been found, and 

 chambanus is unquestionably a mutation, sport or abnormal va- 

 riation as one may choose to call it. 



The so-called mantoui and ohsciirus are of the same nature, 

 no two individuals corresponding exactly to the types, while 

 some show startling variations such as glossy, greenish-black 

 tail-feathers. 



It was interesting to find that Lophophorus, according to 

 my classification, has much closer affinities with the true pheas- 

 ants and Pavo than with Tragopan and the Perdix group. Be- 

 side the moult of the tail-feathers, other characters serve to 

 strengthen this bond. 



DiARDIGALLUS VS. LOPHURA. 



This case is similar to that of Chalcophasis and Lophophor- 

 us, and I can find no character which warrants the generic sep- 

 aration of diardi from Lophura. 



Genus Lophura. 



Although the species of this genus do not show any greater 

 variation from the normal than many of the other pheasants, 

 yet atypical individuals have caused great confusion. After care- 

 ful comparison of all the specimens I could find in the museums 

 of the Far East, of Europe and of America, together with those 

 I was able to collect, I can find no sufficient grounds for separat- 

 ing the Sumatran from the Malayan birds, nor of recognizing 



