﻿DARWIN'S 
  KOKLASS 
  PHEASANT 
  

  

  Pttcrasia 
  darwini 
  darwini 
  Swinhoe 
  

  

  NAMES. 
  — 
  Specific 
  : 
  darwini, 
  dedicated 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  Darwin. 
  English 
  : 
  Darwin's, 
  or 
  Southern 
  Koklass 
  

   Pheasant. 
  French 
  : 
  Pucrasia 
  darwin. 
  German 
  : 
  Chinesisches 
  Pucrashuhn. 
  Native 
  : 
  Song-by 
  (Pine-fowl, 
  

   Chinese). 
  

  

  Brief 
  Description. 
  — 
  Male 
  : 
  Differs 
  from 
  the 
  yellow-collared 
  koklass, 
  in 
  that 
  the 
  mantle 
  pattern 
  is 
  

   quadruple 
  instead 
  of 
  double 
  ; 
  the 
  yellow 
  collar 
  is 
  lacking 
  ; 
  the 
  ventral 
  chestnut 
  is 
  diffuse 
  and 
  faint, 
  and 
  the 
  black 
  

   cross-bar 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  tail-feathers 
  is 
  obsolete 
  or 
  reduced 
  to 
  a 
  spot. 
  Female 
  : 
  Like 
  the 
  female 
  of 
  xanthospila, 
  but 
  

   with 
  tail-feathers 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  male 
  of 
  its 
  own 
  species. 
  

  

  Range. 
  — 
  East-central 
  China 
  in 
  Southern 
  Anhwei, 
  Chekiang 
  and 
  Fokien. 
  

   GENERAL 
  DISTRIBUTION 
  

  

  Darwin's 
  Koklass 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Province 
  of 
  Chekiang 
  and 
  Fokien, 
  and 
  if 
  

   the 
  single 
  record 
  from 
  southern 
  Anhwei 
  is 
  correct, 
  its 
  range 
  is 
  rather 
  closely 
  connected 
  

   with 
  that 
  of 
  Joret's 
  Koklass 
  in 
  the 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  that 
  province. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  This 
  Koklass 
  is 
  not 
  uncommon 
  in 
  the 
  mountains 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  provinces 
  within 
  which 
  

   its 
  centre 
  of 
  distribution 
  seems 
  to 
  lie. 
  Several 
  collectors 
  and 
  naturalists 
  have 
  met 
  with 
  

   it, 
  but 
  have 
  given 
  us 
  almost 
  nothing 
  concerning 
  its 
  general 
  life 
  history 
  and 
  surroundings, 
  

   except 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  these 
  are 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  other 
  koklass 
  pheasants. 
  It 
  keeps 
  to 
  the 
  

   mountains 
  and 
  is 
  rather 
  solitary 
  in 
  habit, 
  ranging 
  through 
  the 
  bamboo 
  groves 
  and 
  the 
  

   open 
  hillsides 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  food. 
  The 
  crop 
  of 
  one 
  bird 
  contained 
  berries 
  and 
  bamboo 
  

   leaves. 
  

  

  Hardly 
  worth 
  mentioning 
  is 
  the 
  record 
  of 
  a 
  white 
  egg 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  

   brought 
  in, 
  in 
  a 
  broken 
  condition, 
  by 
  a 
  Chinese 
  collector. 
  

  

  DETAILED 
  DESCRIPTION 
  

  

  Adult 
  Male. 
  — 
  The 
  head 
  and 
  neck 
  are 
  like 
  macrolopha, 
  except 
  that 
  the 
  green 
  gloss 
  

   covers 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  crown, 
  chin 
  and 
  throat, 
  and 
  the 
  occipital 
  crest 
  is 
  rather 
  olivaceous. 
  

  

  In 
  xanthospila 
  I 
  have 
  described 
  the 
  general 
  pattern 
  as 
  two 
  tapering, 
  submarginal 
  

   black 
  lines 
  running 
  the 
  entire 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  feather, 
  the 
  margins 
  being 
  clear 
  grey 
  and 
  

   the 
  central 
  portion 
  mottled 
  grey. 
  This 
  inner 
  mottling 
  is 
  seen 
  on 
  close 
  examination 
  to 
  be 
  

  

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