144 PHHA8ANTS FOB COVERTS AND AVIARIES. 



long as they are isolated from each, other. The moment they 

 are brought into contact they begin to interbreed ; crosses of 

 every kind rapidly appear, and in a comparatively short time 

 the swamping effects of interbreeding reduce the two or 

 more local races which have been brought into contact to a 

 single and uniform intermediate race. Such swamping 

 effects of interbreeding have practically stamped out in the 

 British Islands the two very different looking races of 



pheasants which were introduced into them Fhasianus 



colchicus from Asia Minor, and Fhasianus torquatus from 

 China. The pheasant of the British Islands is, with very 

 rare exceptions, only a mongrel between these two races, but, 

 it must be admitted, a very healthy and fertile one." 



The intermingling of the several races in the course of 

 ages, and the isolation of the different breeds in the valleys 

 and river systems of Asia, have given rise to numerous sub- 

 species which are found spread over that vast continent. 

 The spread of scientific investigation is continually disclosing 

 new pheasants, which it pleases the discoverers to regard as 

 distinct species, but which are obviously only mixed races. 

 Mr. D. Gr. Elliot, writing in 1872, enumerated about a dozen. 

 Mr. Seebohm, in the Ihia for 1887, described six as sub- 

 species of P. colchicus (three of which were not recognised 

 by Mr. Elliot). These are P. 'princifalis from North 

 Afghanistan; P. persicus, which Mr. Elliot regards as the 

 same as P. shawi; and P. chrysomelas, which he regards as 

 identical with P. insignis. In the following volume (1888) 

 Mr. Seebohm enumerates seven races, of which the Chinese 

 P. torquatus may be regarded as the type; of these two, 

 P. vlangali and P. strauchi, are not described by Elliot. Of 

 the others, the most strongly marked is the Japanese P. versi- 

 color, which appears to me to be the most distinct and typical 

 of all the true pheasants. 



It would be but a tedious and most unprofitable waste of 

 time to enter into all the • fifty so-called breeds of pheasants 

 which the species-mongers have raised to the dignity of 



