﻿THE 
  YELLOW-NECKED 
  KOKLASS 
  PHEASANT 
  AND 
  ITS 
  ALLIES 
  

  

  As 
  we 
  have 
  seen, 
  the 
  Koklass 
  Pheasants 
  of 
  the 
  extreme 
  western 
  Himalayas 
  and 
  of 
  

   central 
  Nepal 
  develop 
  chestnut 
  mantles. 
  Those 
  of 
  Tibet 
  and 
  of 
  northern 
  China 
  acquire 
  

   a 
  less 
  extensive 
  but 
  more 
  conspicuous 
  and 
  very 
  distinct 
  yellow 
  dorsal 
  collar. 
  This 
  is 
  

   foreshadowed 
  in 
  about 
  20 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  macrolopha 
  macrolopha, 
  the 
  Common 
  Koklass 
  of 
  

   Garhwal, 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  strong 
  buffy 
  tinge 
  is 
  present 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  and 
  hind 
  neck. 
  

  

  The 
  character 
  which 
  seems 
  most 
  constant, 
  and 
  therefore 
  logical 
  for 
  use 
  in 
  separating 
  

   the 
  northern 
  forms, 
  is 
  the 
  pattern 
  of 
  the 
  mantle 
  and 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  plumage. 
  The 
  

   central 
  black 
  stripe 
  of 
  macrolopha 
  and 
  its 
  allies 
  is 
  in 
  xanthospila 
  split 
  into 
  two 
  by 
  a 
  

   wide 
  shaft-stripe. 
  

  

  The 
  rufous 
  on 
  the 
  lateral 
  rectrices 
  so 
  marked 
  in 
  macrolopha 
  disappears 
  in 
  typical 
  

   xanthospila, 
  save 
  in 
  about 
  10 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  the 
  individuals 
  ; 
  but 
  this 
  character 
  is 
  retained 
  

   in 
  xanthospila 
  meyeri. 
  The 
  orange 
  tinge 
  of 
  the 
  collar 
  is 
  characteristic 
  of 
  Kansu 
  

   specimens 
  which 
  seem 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  fairly 
  well-marked 
  subspecies 
  ruficollis. 
  

  

  The 
  form 
  joretiana 
  occurs 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  typical 
  xanthospila, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  ways, 
  

   noticeably 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  the 
  yellow 
  collar, 
  approaches 
  darwini. 
  The 
  perfect 
  xanthospila 
  

   "double" 
  pattern 
  on 
  the 
  plumage, 
  however, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  great 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  

   amount 
  of 
  nuchal 
  yellow 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  birds 
  (I 
  have 
  seen 
  one 
  from 
  Pekin 
  with 
  no 
  

   more 
  buffy 
  tinge 
  than 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  many 
  macrolopha 
  from 
  Garhwal), 
  make 
  it 
  desirable 
  

   to 
  consider 
  joretiana 
  as 
  a 
  subspecies 
  of 
  xanthospila. 
  

  

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