NORTHERN BLOOD PARTRIDGE 



Ithagenes sinensis David 



David's Northern Blood Partridge .... Ithagenes sinensis sinensis David. 

 Michael's Northern Blood Partridge ... „ „ michaelis Biancbi. 



Berezowsky's Northern Blood Partridge ... „ „ berezowskii Bianchi. 



This species has been separated into three subspecies, but the habits of these, so 

 far as we know, are so similar, that I shall treat of them under the species-heading, 

 except as to synonymy and subspecific description. 



NAMES. — Specific : sinensis, of China ; michaelis, for the collector, Michael Efimovitsch Grum-Grzimailo ; 

 berezowskii, for the Russian zoologist, M. M. Berezowsky ; Vernacular : Hoa-ky (flower-bird) ; Song-hoa-ky 

 (flower-bird of the firs, Chinese) ; Sermun (Mongol). 



Brief Description. — Male : Bluish-grey above, with white or greenish-white shaft-streaks ; wing-coverts 

 golden or cinnamon; crest ashy-grey; throat and breast buff; lower breast and sides apple green; under tail- 

 coverts crimson. Female : Head ashy ; upper parts greyish buff; under parts brownish buff. 



RANGE. — Higher regions of Kansu, Shensi and northern Szechuan. 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE SPECIES 



The Northern Blood Partridge inhabits the subalpine slopes of the mountains of 

 central China, the eastern Nanshan Mountains in Kansu, and eastward along the 

 highlands of the Hoang-ho River, through central and southern Shensi in the Tsing- 

 ling Range, and on into eastern Honan. Southward we find it in north central 

 Szechuan. Future thorough exploration will reveal much more of the range of this 

 partridge, but at present we may roughly indicate its distribution by a triangle, with 

 the points respectively at 102 E. 38 N. in the north ; in° E. 34 N. in the east, and 

 103 E. 31 N. in the south. 



GENERAL ACCOUNT 



Judging from the accounts of the collectors and explorers who have seen this bird, 

 it is nowhere common, and its habits in general differ in no respects from those of 

 the Himalayan species. 



In the spring of the year the Northern Blood Partridges keep to the edges of the 

 subalpine forests and shrubs. The centre of the range of this species is at least five 

 hundred miles north of the Himalayas, and consequently the alpine zone is at a lower 

 altitude. The average height at which these birds live is therefore less than in the 

 more southern species. The character of the vegetation is also changed, and in Kansu, 

 while they are found among firs, they also haunt low, stunted growths of sarbus, 

 willows, mountain ash and cornus. In Shensi we read of their being found in 

 bamboo. 



In winter they form into coveys and descend lower on the mountains, where 



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