XXX 



INTRODUCTION 



PALAEARCTIC REGION 



jchurian Sub-region— 



Oriental Region 



Ithagenes 



Gennaeus 



Tragopan 



Acomus 



Lophophorus 



Lophura 



Crossoptilon 



Lobiophasis 



Pucrasia 



Gallus 



Catreus 



Chalcurus 



Phasianus (also in Siberian sub-region and in 



Polyplectron 



northern Oriental region) 



Rheinardius 



Syrmaticus (also in northern Oriental region) 



A rgusianus 



Chrysolophus 



Pavo 



Phasianus and Syrmaticus, while extending into the northern part of the Oriental 

 region, are unquestionably of true Palaearctic origin. With the exception of the wide- 

 ranging Phasianus, all the eight genera are typical of the Manchurian sub-region. In 

 regard to the Oriental region, it seems impossible to recognize the divisions into Indo- 

 Chinese and Indo-Malayan sub-regions. Gennaeus is the only genus confined to the 

 former, and Acomus and Chalcurus alone are limited to the latter. All the remaining 

 groups are found in both of these sub-regions. Gallus and Pavo are the only genera 

 of Pheasants which enter the Indian and Ceylonese sub-regions. 



The genera of pheasants under consideration almost without exception support the 

 finer zoogeographical divisions of Wallace rather than those of Lydekker or Sclater. 



I have already indicated the importance which I attribute to geographical 

 distribution in the demarcation of genera. In such a case as the removal of the Reeves 

 Pheasant from Phasianus and in other instances, such a criterion seems fully in 

 agreement with physical characters of differentiation. 



The correlation between distribution and the three subfamilies of true pheasants 

 tends to strengthen these divisions : — 



Phasianinae 



Palaearctic Region 



Oriental Region 



ARGUSIANINAE { Oriental region 

 PAVONINAE { Oriental region 



Lophophorus 



Crossoptilon 



Pucrasia 



Catreus 



Phasianus 



Syrmaticus 



Chrysolophus 



Gennaeus 



Acomus 



Lophura 



Lobiophasis 



Gallus 

 [ Chalcurus 

 | Polyplectron 

 J Rheinardius 

 | A rgusianus 

 | Pavo 



Summing up the general distribution, there seems little doubt but that the 

 pheasants are essentially northern in origin, and mountainous rather than low-living. 

 Progression southward in every instance, both specifically as well as generically, is 

 correlated with increasing specialization, and consequently we may assume that it also 



