PRINCE OF WALES PHEASANT 



viz., about 36 inches, and the tail feathers have dark trans- 

 verse markings. It has white wing coverts, similar to that 

 in P. Mongolicus, but it is distinguished from the latter bird 

 by the complete absence of the white ring round the neck. 

 The plumage of the chest and breast is tipped with dark 

 purple, giving a purple-green reflection. The ground colour 

 is golden-red, spangled with a deep bright purple. 



There seems to be no reason why the Prince of Wales 

 Pheasant should not hybridise well with the Mongolian, 

 although the writer is not aware of anyone having tried the 

 production of hybrids from the two species named. The 

 first discovery of the bird by the British appears to have 

 been by the members of the Afghan Delimitation Commission 

 in 1884, 3-i^d it was during that year that a considerable 

 number of birds were shot. 



Ogilvie Grant, in his Handbook on British Game Birds, 

 refers to Phasianus Principalis in the following terms : — 



" Adult Male. — This may be easily distinguished by having 

 white wing coverts of P. Persicus, but unlike that species 

 the rump is bronze-red, and practically there is no purple 

 lake gloss on the lower back, rump and upper tail coverts. 

 The feathers of the chest and the breast are broadly tipped 

 with dark purplish-green. Total length, 35.5 inches ; wing, 

 9.4; tail, 21.5 ; tarsus, 2.7. 



" Adtilt Female. — Much paler than the female of P. 

 Colchicus and P. Persicus, the brown colour of the feathers 

 of the mantle being pale rufous, and the general colour of 

 the rest of the plumage, pale sandy buff. It is extremely 

 similar to the female of the P. Chrysomelus from the Amu- 

 Darya, having the black spots on the middle line of the 

 chest feathers more strongly marked than any other allied 

 species. 



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