1914] Beebe: Preliminary Pheasant Studies. 275 



of these are of more than sub-specific rank, making but two full 

 species. 



Crossoptilon mantchuricum Swinhoe. 

 Crossoptilon auritum (Pallas). 

 Crossoptilon tibetanum (Hodgson). 



A review of the specimens of the two latter species in many 

 museums shows that all the birds from the eastern part of the 

 range are the normal blue-gray auritum, while those from the 

 western part, in Tibet, are typically snow-white tibetanum. In 

 intermediate localities have been found not only typical speci- 

 mens of each, but also many parti-colored birds to some of which 

 has been given specific rank. These are, in my opinion, exam- 

 ples of that very unusual phenomenon in nature, — hybridism, be- 

 tween the two very distinctly colored forms. No other explana- 

 tion seems open. 



As regards harmoni, all recent describers of the type have 

 merely copied an earlier description and have perpetuated sev- 

 eral errors. Such as omitting to mention the posterior exten- 

 sion of white on the throat and the white on the center of the 

 belly. These and other characters are all found combined in 

 various ways and degrees of development in other individuals 

 collected in different parts of Tibet. For example, in the Jardin 

 des Plantes Museum there is a bird, typically harmoni in all re- 

 spects except that the whole abdomen from the lower breast 

 downward is white and the outer six pairs of rectrices have a 

 great deal of pure white. These feathers number only twenty, 

 and a very careful examination of the root of the tail showed 

 that none had been lost. In view of the observations which fol- 

 low there is no reason to credit the type specimen of harmoni 

 with having originally had more than twenty-two, or even 

 twenty rectrices. 



Crossoptilon leucurum has been separated from tibetanum 

 on account of the presence of white in the tail feathers, but the 

 fact that no two individuals exhibit the same amount of this 

 color, or even show it symmetrically distributed on the right or 

 left feathers, wholly discredits this character as of taxonomic 

 importance. Indeed Hodgson's original type of tibetanum shows 

 white on all the six outer pairs of tail feathers. 



