﻿MEYER'S 
  KOKLASS 
  PHEASANT 
  

  

  Pucrasia 
  xanthospila 
  meyeri 
  Madarasz 
  

  

  Name.— 
  Specific 
  : 
  meyeri, 
  named 
  after 
  Dr. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Meyer, 
  Director 
  of 
  the 
  Dresden 
  Museum. 
  

   GENERAL 
  DISTRIBUTION 
  

  

  This 
  form 
  of 
  Koklass 
  has 
  been 
  recorded 
  from 
  Central 
  Tibet, 
  and 
  from 
  Yerkalo, 
  on 
  

   the 
  Mekong 
  River, 
  almost 
  at 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  Szechuan, 
  Tibet 
  and 
  Yunnan. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  seen 
  three 
  xanthospila 
  from 
  Szechuan 
  which 
  vary 
  so 
  markedly 
  in 
  the 
  

   direction 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  that 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  feel 
  it 
  deserves 
  more 
  than 
  subspecific 
  distinction. 
  

   Oustalet 
  also 
  classes 
  with 
  this 
  form 
  Koklass 
  Pheasants 
  observed 
  near 
  Tatsienlu, 
  by 
  the 
  

   Prince 
  of 
  Orleans. 
  

  

  The 
  cock 
  may, 
  in 
  a 
  word, 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  xanthospila 
  with 
  the 
  tail-feathers 
  of 
  

   macrolopha. 
  This 
  being 
  the 
  case, 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  figured 
  it. 
  We 
  know 
  nothing 
  of 
  it, 
  

   beyond 
  the 
  knowledge 
  which 
  the 
  several 
  known 
  skins 
  have 
  given 
  us. 
  

  

  The 
  type 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  Hungarian 
  National 
  Museum. 
  

  

  DETAILED 
  DESCRIPTION 
  

  

  Adult 
  Male. 
  — 
  Centre 
  of 
  crown 
  black, 
  with 
  brown 
  tips 
  increasing 
  in 
  extent 
  until 
  

   the 
  very 
  long, 
  slender 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  hind 
  crown 
  is 
  all 
  brown. 
  The 
  still 
  longer 
  posterior 
  

   feathers 
  springing 
  from 
  the 
  occiput 
  are 
  black, 
  with 
  the 
  margins 
  glossed 
  with 
  steel 
  blue, 
  

   as 
  are 
  the 
  feathers 
  of 
  the 
  forehead, 
  face 
  and 
  side 
  crown, 
  the 
  ear-coverts, 
  hind 
  neck, 
  chin, 
  

   and 
  throat 
  being 
  bluish 
  green. 
  A 
  large 
  patch 
  of 
  white 
  begins 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  ear- 
  

   coverts 
  and 
  extends 
  downward 
  and 
  backward 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  neck, 
  separating 
  the 
  metallic 
  

   plumage 
  of 
  the 
  side 
  throat 
  from 
  the 
  hind 
  neck. 
  A 
  well-marked 
  wide 
  collar 
  of 
  pale 
  

   yellow 
  buff 
  extends 
  around 
  the 
  sides 
  and 
  hind 
  neck, 
  the 
  tinge 
  dying 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  mantle. 
  

  

  The 
  type 
  of 
  the 
  dorsal 
  plumage 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  xanthospila, 
  but 
  clearer, 
  a 
  wide 
  pinkish- 
  

   grey 
  shaft-stripe 
  separating 
  two 
  still 
  wider 
  black 
  lateral 
  bands, 
  the 
  remaining 
  narrow 
  

   margin 
  being 
  grey. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  pattern 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  body, 
  above 
  and 
  below, 
  except 
  for 
  

   the 
  central 
  ventral 
  line, 
  from 
  the 
  iridescent 
  throat 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  belly, 
  which 
  is 
  rich 
  

   chestnut. 
  

  

  The 
  colours 
  of 
  the 
  wing-coverts 
  are 
  less 
  clear 
  and 
  distinct, 
  the 
  grey 
  being 
  mottled 
  

   and 
  clouded 
  with 
  buff 
  and 
  dark 
  brown. 
  The 
  inner 
  secondaries 
  are 
  dark 
  brown, 
  mottled 
  

   on 
  the 
  inner 
  web 
  with 
  rufous, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  web 
  and 
  margin 
  with 
  greyish 
  buff. 
  The 
  

  

  38 
  

  

  