viii LIST OF COLOURED PLATES 



Plate XXVJ. LINEATED KALEEGE Gennaeus lineatus (Vigors) . Facing page 52 



Painted by G. E. Lodge. 



A night spent in slumber on the branch of a tree; an early morning drink and search 

 for food ; a midday siesta ; again a feeding period and in the cool of early evening a leisurely 

 stroll to water and thence to roost ; such is the epitome of the daily life of the Lineated, 

 as well as of most other pheasants. 



They can be located often by the sound of their scratching among leaves, or the low, 

 undertone clucks and chuckles as they search for grubs or succulent tubers. 



Plate XXVII. CHINESE SILVER KALEEGE Gennaeus nycthemerus (Linnaeus) 



Painted by C. R, Knight. Facing page 62 



This, the beautiful bird of "day and night," ranges across the whole of south China, 

 from the Burmese border almost to the sea-coast of Fokien. It is found in open forest, 

 on clear, rolling hills and along swift rivers. While the Silver Kaleege is common in captivity, 

 yet no white man has ever seen the nest and eggs of a wild bird. Enormous numbers were 

 formerly killed for their plumage, but now the Chinese have developed a taste for their 

 flesh and trap and shoot the bird extensively. 



Plate XXVIII. HAINAN SILVER KALEEGE Gennaeus whiteheadi Grant 



Painted by G. E. Lodge. Facing page 72 



This bird is very close to the Silver Kaleege, but as it is found only on an island off the 

 south China coast, it must be recognised as a distinct species. There is less white on 

 the outer tail-feathers than in the silver bird, while the female is actually more like the 

 corresponding sex in the Lineated than in the Silver Kaleege. Mr. Whitehead, who obtained 

 the first specimens, died before he left the country, and since that time only Japanese 

 collectors have taken the bird. 



Plate XXIX. EDWARD'S KALEEGE Gennaeus edwardsi Oustalet . Facingpage 76 



Painted by G. E. Lodge. 



Although known for a quarter of a century, absolutely nothing has been recorded of the 

 habits of this very distinct and beautiful pheasant. Four specimens have been obtained 

 from the province of Kaung-tri in Annam. 



Plate XXX. SWINHOE'S KALEEGE Gennaeus swinhoii (Gould) . Facingpage 78 



Painted by G. E. Lodge. 



In the deep inland forests of the mountains ot Formosa this splendid bird makes its 

 home. None but the natives have observed or captured it, and there is no record of the 

 nest and eggs being found, but the bird lays readily in captivity and is not rare in zoological 

 gardens. 



Plate XXXI. RIPPON'S HYBRID SILVER KALEEGE . . . Facingpage 92 



Painted by G. E. Lodge. 



This bird has been given a name {Gennaeus ripponi), but no two birds are alike, and there 

 is no doubt but that it represents individuals which have a very large percentage of the blood 

 of the Silver Kaleege, with a relatively small amount of Black-breasted ancestry. I found a 

 typical bird in a flock of eleven in northern Burma. They showed great variation, and could 

 not be classified with any specific exactness, and only one approached the description of this 

 hybrid form. 



Plate XXXII. GATES'S HYBRID KALEEGE .... Facingpage 94 



Painted by G, E. Lodge. 



This bird, which some ornithologists have considered to be a species {Gennaeus oatesi), 

 shows great variation in the dozen skins I have examined. We must either give a half-dozen 

 new names to them or consider them as hybrids. Oates's Kaleege represents birds with the 

 blood both of the Black-breasted and Lineated Kaleege, but the latter greatly dominant. 



