168 The Common Pheasant. 



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 swamp- 

 ing 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 inter- 

 breeding have practically stamped out in the British Islands 

 the two very different looking races of pheasants which were 

 introduced into them — Phasianus colchicus from Asia Minor, 

 and Phasianus 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. G. Elhot, 

 writing in 1872, enumerated about a dozen. Mr. Seebohm, 

 in the Ibis for 1887, described six as sub-species of P. colchicus 

 (three of which were not recognised by Mr. Elliot). These are 

 P. principalis from North Afghanistan ; P. persicus (which Mr. 

 Elliot regards as the same as P. shawi) ; and P. cJirysomelas, 

 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 Mr. Elliot. 

 Of the others, the most strongly marked is the Japanese 

 P. versicolor, which appears to me to be the most distinct 

 and typical of all the true pheasants. 



In his work on Game Birds, Mr. Ogilvie Grant enumerates 

 eighteen species, and to these have been added three others 

 by Mr. Dresser and the Hon. Walter Eothschild, as recorded 

 in Chapter I. of the present volume. 



