THE CHINESE PHEASANT. 97 



zigzag and crescentic marks of Ijuffy white; lower part of the back, rump, and 

 upper tail coverts light 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; flanka 

 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 Mght 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 intervals with* broad, conspicuous black bands, passing into 

 reddish-brown on the sides of the basal portion of the six central feathers ; bOl 

 yellowish horn-colour ; irides yellow ; feet greyish- white. The female has the whole 

 of the upper surface brownish-black, with a margin of buff to every feather; the 

 throat whitish, and the central portion of the under surface fawn colour; flanks 

 mottled with brown; tail buff, barred with dark brown, between which are other 

 interrupted bars of the same hue. These marks are broader on the two central 

 feathers than on the others, and, moreover, do not reveal the edge on either side." 



Closely allied to the ordinary Chinese pheasant is a bird which has been 

 described as a distinct species by Consul Swinhoe, under the title of the Ringless 

 Chinese Pheasant (P. decollatws). It was obtained by him at Chung-king-foo, in 

 Szechuen, and a somewhat similar bird was procured by Pere David at Moupin, 

 near the Thibetan boundary. I cannot but regard these birds as more than mere 

 local varieties of the ordinary Chinese species, and must refer those who wish to 

 trace the slight distinctions between them to Mr. Elliot's " Phasianidse," in which they 

 are figured. In the same magnificent folio will be found engravings of the Mongolian 

 Pheasant (P. mongolicus), the Yarkand Pheasant (P. msignis), and Shaw's Pheasant 

 (P. shawii) ; all closely allied to the common Chinese species, if not merely to be 

 regarded as geographical variations from it. None of these forms are known in a 

 living state in Europe, and consequently do not require detailed notice in the 

 present work. 



