1914] Beebe: Revieiu of the Genus, Genn^m. 309 



The tangle which has arisen about this genus centers in 

 Burma, and, in a word, the whole question resolves itself into 

 whether the numerous forms which have been described from 

 that country are valid species and subspecies or only hybrids, 

 the naming of which might be continued indefinitely without 

 benefit to the understanding of the genus. 



In order even to begin to clear up the problem it is necessary 

 to have a definite starting point and for this I have chosen the 

 Lineated Kaleege (G. lineatus). Geographically and pigment- 

 ally this species occupies a central position. From the point of 

 view of color and pattern it is the most generalized of all the 

 species, while its uniformity over almost its entire range leaves 

 no doubt as to its right to true specific recognition. The black 

 and white on the upper plumage is broken up into fine vermicu- 

 lation, the two being about equal in extent, the very specialized 

 color extremes of solid white or black being thus lacking. A 

 further hint of its more generalized type is the superficial resem- 

 blance which it bears to the nearly related tropical genera, 

 Acomus and Diardigallus. 



From this point even a superficial survey of the genus 

 shows two, and very probably three main lines of divergence. 

 To the north and westward along the Himalayan terai extends 

 a succession of dark feathered birds, in which the whites are 

 reduced or concentrated on certain limited portions of the plum- 

 age. From east to west these are horsfielcli, melanonotus , leu- 

 comelanus and albocristatus. In all four there is a small amount 

 of variation, but, inter se, no actual crossing has ever been 

 recorded in a wild state, nor did most careful search and inquiry 

 on my part reveal a single instance. I have taken this up in 

 detail in my monograph and there is no need to reproduce it 

 here. 



It is important to note that the distinctions between the 

 four Himalayan Kaleege Pheasants have been shown by Ghigi 

 to behave in experimental crossing exactly as though they had 

 been derived by mutation, not blending as do the characters of 

 the Burmese birds. 



To the northeast of lineatus we find a second line of Gen- 

 naeus Pheasants, of which the most widely distributed is nycthn- 



