192 A MONOGRAPH OF THE PHEASANTS 



compared with 330 in the adult. The tail is in full moult. The old feathers are less 

 iridescent, more of a brownish-black in tone, and hold this colour to the base. The 

 centre ones are only 415 mm. in length, as compared with 515 in the adult. The moult 

 is proceeding regularly from outside inward, the inner five pairs of rectrices being as 

 yet unmoulted. 



Thus the younger plumage is in general much darker, and less decomposed and 

 iridescent, and the wing and tail are shorter. There is, however— and this is a very 

 important point — no difference between young and adult in amount of distinct dark and 

 white areas, and herein lies the vital difference due to infusion of blood of such a 

 coloured bird as auritum. Such colouring is very different from the gradual clearing 

 up and whitening of the plumage as a whole, which results from successive moults. I 

 shall again have occasion to refer to this matter. 



EARLY HISTORY 



Hodgson, in 1838, described a white pheasant under the name of Phasianus 

 tibetanus. He obtained this bird in Nepal from a native envoy who had just returned 

 from Pekin, and as for many years this specimen remained unique, its haunts were for 

 an equal length of time wholly shrouded in mystery. Ultimately it was found that 

 typical tibetanum had no white patches on the tail-feathers, and thus Hodgson's bird 

 was not absolutely pure-blooded, but had some taint of auritum. 



SYNONYMY 



Phasianus {Crossoptilon) tibetanus Hodgson, J. As. Soc. Beng., VII. 1838, p. 864, pi. 46; id. Ind. Rev., III. 



•839. P- 593- 



Crossoptilon tibetanum Hodgson, in Gray's Zool. Misc., 1844, p. 85 ; Sclater, List of Phas., 1863, p. 6, pi. 4; 

 Gray, List Gallinae Brit. Mus., 1867, p. 31 ; David, N. Arch. Mus. Bull., VII. 1871, p. 11 [Moupin] ; Elliot, Mon. 

 Phas., I. 1872, pi. 14; David and Oustalet, Ois. Chine, 1877, p. 407, pi. 107 [W. Sze-chuen] ; Hume, Stray Feathers, 

 VII. 1878, p. 426 ; Scully, Stray Feathers, VIII. 1879, p. 343 ; Seebohm, Ibis, 1891, p. 378 ; Sclater, Proc. Zool. 

 Soc, 1891, p. 464; Seebohm, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, I. 1892, p. XVIII; Oustalet, Ann. Sci. Nat., (7), XII. 1892, 

 p. 315 [part] ; Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. Game-birds Brit. Mus., XXII. 1893, p. 293 ; Bower, Journey across Tibet, 1894, 

 p. 294; Ogilvie-Grant, Hand-book Game-birds, I. 1895, p. 252; Sclater, List Animals London Zool. - Gardens, 

 1896, p. 486; Davies, Ibis, 1901, p. 409; Tegetmeier, Pheasants, 1904, p. 228; Mitchell, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1911, 

 p. 521 ; Beebe, Zoologica, I. No. 15, p. 275. 



Crossoptilon auritum Gray, Genera Birds, III. 1845, p. 495, pi. CXXV ; id. Cat. Hodgs., ed. I. 1846, p. 124. 



Crossoptilon drouynii Verreaux, N. Arch. Mus. Bull., IV. 1868, p. 85, pi. Ill [Moupin] ; Swinhoe, Proc. Zool. 

 Soc, 1871, p. 399 ; Elliot, Mon. Phas., I. 1872, p. XVIII, pi. 15. 



Crossoptilon tibetanus Gray, Hand-list Birds, II. 1870, p. 259. 



Crossoptihmi tibetanum Hume and Marshall, Game-birds India, I. 1878, p. 115, pi.; Seebohm, Ibis, 1891, 

 p. 378 [W. Sze-chuen]; Blanford, Fauna Brit. India, Birds, IV. 1898, p. 88; Sharpe, Hand-list Birds, I. 1899, 

 p. 35 ; Oates, Cat. Eggs Brit. Mus., I. 1901, p. S3, pi. V, fig. 4; Dresser, Man. Palae. Birds, 1903, p. 671. 



Crossoptilon leucurum Seebohm, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, I. 1892, p. xvii ; id. Ibis, 1893, p. 250; Bower, 

 Journey across Tibet, 1894, p. 296. 



Crossoptilum leucurum Dresser, Man. Palae. Birds, II. 1903, p. 671. 



Crossoptilun tibetanum Wilson, A Naturalist in Western China, II. 19 14, p. 122. 



Crossoptilon tibetanum tibetanum Baker, Jour. Bomb. Nat. His. Soc, XXIV. 1916, p. 626. 



Crossoptilon tibetanum drouynii „ „ „ „ » P- 629. 



