170 F. Finn — General Notes on Variation in Birds. [No. 3, 



The Golden Pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus) of China has been 

 bred in confinement over a century. 



It is generally true to the type, but a variety, the Black-throated 

 Gold Pheasant, is known (G. pictus obscurus of Schlegel) in which the 

 cock's cheeks and throat are dark brown instead of buff, and the scapulars 

 blackish instead of bright red, while all the tail-feathers are barred, the 

 central ones with the rest. The hen of this form is darker than that 

 of the type, as also are the chicks. It is believed to be a variation 

 which has arisen in captivity, as it is only known in that state. 



As the Amherst Pheasant (0. aniherstise) the only near relative of 

 the Golden species, has a dark throat and barred central tail-feathers, 

 the peculiarities of this form seem to be more probably due to a 

 reversion to the ancestral type of the genus than to an approach to 

 melanism. 



Mr. P. Castang, the well-known wild-fowl dealer of Leadenhall 

 market, tells me that this variety used to be more common, but was not 

 liked, on account of its dull appearance. 



The Silver Pheasant (Gennaeus nycthemerus) has given no varia- 

 tions in captivity. 



The Fowl (Galhis gallus) is obviously excessively variable in colour- 

 ation. As I showed some time ago (Nature, Jan. 30, 1902, p. 297) the 

 characteristic colours of all except the highly specialized pencilled, laced 

 and spangled breeds occur in common Indian Bazaar fowls. 



I stated on this occasion that the colouration of rufous with a 

 black tail was not recognized as correct for any breed in hens, but in 

 making this statement I overlooked the Nankeen Bantam breed, in 

 which both sexes are thus coloured. This colouration is perhaps the 

 commonest met with in domestic poultry allowed to interbreed freely. 

 A few more details may here be added : — 



The colour of the legs and feet in unselecfced fowls varies much, 

 being fleshy-white, blue-grey, black, yellow, or olive-green (" willow " of 

 the fancy) . The only intermediate form which occurs is the black- 

 mottled white or yellow accepted for Houdans and Anconas respectively 

 The ear-lobe, as in the wild bird, varies from red to white ; it may 

 present a combination of the two colours. Creamy-yellow ear-lobes also 

 occur. The ear-lobe is blue in the dark-skinned " Silky " breed. 



The bill is dark as in the wild bird except in birds which have 

 white or yellow legs, in which case the bill is of the same colour, some- 

 times marked along the ridge with black. 



The naked skin of the comb and face, &c, is uniformly red as a 

 rule, whereas the wild-bird's face is flesh-coloured. A dark purple 

 face may occur, as in the Brown-Red Game, which is hence called 



