160 PHEASANTS FOB COVERTS AND AVIARIES. 



exceedingly pale, and by some writers this local variety has- 

 been described as a distinct species ■ under the name of 

 P. formosanus. 



The characters of the pure-bred Chinese P. torquatus were 

 given in minute detail by the late Mr. Gould, in his mag- 

 nificent folio, " The Birds of Asia." They are as follows :— 

 " The male has the forehead deep green ; crown of the head 

 fawn colour, glossed with green ; over each eye a conspicuous 

 streak of buffy white ; the naked papillated skin of the orbits 

 and sides of the face deep scarlet or blood red, interspersed 

 beneath the eye with a series of very minute black feathers ;, 

 horn-like tufts on each side of the head ; throat and neck rich 

 deep, shining green, with violet reflections ; near the base of 

 the neck a conspicuous collar of shining white feathers, narrow 

 before and behind, and broadly dilated at the sides; the 

 feathers of the back of the neck black, with a narrow mark 

 of white down the centre of the back portion, and a large 

 lengthened mark of ochreous yellow within the edge of 

 each web near the tip ; the feathers of back and scapu- 

 laries black at the base, with a streak of white in the 

 middle, then buff surrounded with a distinct narrow band 

 of black, to which succeeds an outer fringe of chesnut; 

 feathers of the back black, with numerous zigzag and 

 crescentic marks of buffy white ; lower part of the back, 

 rump, and upper tail coverts Hght green of various shades^ 

 passing into bluish-grey at the sides, below which is a 

 mark of rufous; breast feathers indented at the tip, of a 

 rich reddish chesnut, with purple reflections, and each 

 bordered with black; flanks fine buff, with a large angular 

 spot of beautiful violet at the tip; centre of the abdomen 

 black, with violet reflections ; under tail coverts reddish 

 chesnut ; wing coverts silvery-grey ; wings brown, the 

 primaries with light shafts, and crossed with narrow bars 

 of light buff; the secondaries similar, but not so regularly 

 marked as the primaries ; tail feathers olive, fringed with 

 different shades of reddish violet, and crossed at regular 



