﻿72 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  The 
  flight 
  is 
  weaker 
  than 
  in 
  many 
  other 
  pheasants, 
  and 
  slower 
  than 
  the 
  great 
  

   Reeves. 
  Pheasants 
  feed 
  on 
  a 
  host 
  of 
  vegetable 
  and 
  animal 
  substances, 
  grain 
  and 
  insects 
  

   forming 
  the 
  two 
  chief 
  staples. 
  They 
  roost 
  by 
  preference 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  but 
  occasionally 
  

   an 
  excess 
  of 
  terrestrial 
  dangers 
  compels 
  them 
  to 
  take 
  to 
  trees. 
  

  

  The 
  difference 
  in 
  coloration 
  between 
  the 
  sexes 
  is 
  pronounced, 
  the 
  female 
  being 
  

   adapted 
  for 
  concealment 
  while 
  incubating, 
  although 
  the 
  cock 
  knows 
  well 
  how 
  to 
  hide 
  

   himself 
  in 
  even 
  a 
  small 
  tuft 
  of 
  grass. 
  Courtship 
  is 
  lateral 
  and 
  persistent, 
  but 
  the 
  birds 
  

   have 
  short 
  tempers, 
  and 
  rough 
  tactics 
  sometimes 
  supplant 
  continued 
  effort 
  at 
  display. 
  

   The 
  cocks 
  may 
  fight 
  fiercely, 
  but 
  are 
  not 
  as 
  pugnacious 
  as 
  some 
  other 
  forms. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  the 
  smallest 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  pheasants, 
  and 
  vary 
  from 
  pear-shape 
  to 
  a 
  rather 
  

   broad 
  oval, 
  with 
  a 
  smooth 
  and 
  glossy 
  surface, 
  which 
  is 
  quite 
  unmarked. 
  Usually 
  they 
  

   are 
  olive 
  brown, 
  but 
  they 
  vary 
  from 
  greenish 
  white 
  and 
  pale 
  stone 
  colour 
  to 
  brownish 
  

   cream 
  or 
  greenish 
  blue. 
  They 
  measure 
  41 
  to 
  47 
  mm. 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  33 
  to 
  36 
  in 
  width. 
  

  

  The 
  chicks 
  are 
  pale 
  buff, 
  with 
  black 
  lines 
  high 
  over 
  the 
  eye, 
  and 
  two 
  on 
  the 
  crown, 
  

   filled 
  in 
  with 
  dark 
  seal 
  brown, 
  forming 
  an 
  arrow 
  mark 
  or 
  long 
  triangle, 
  the 
  tip 
  ending 
  

   at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  beak. 
  The 
  nape 
  usually 
  has 
  several 
  irregular 
  markings, 
  and 
  two 
  dark 
  

   lines 
  which 
  meet 
  on 
  the 
  hind 
  neck, 
  extending 
  thence 
  as 
  a 
  single, 
  broad, 
  blackish-brown 
  

   band 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  rump. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  triangular 
  ear-spot, 
  and 
  a 
  dark 
  line 
  down 
  in 
  

   front 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  ; 
  a 
  large 
  seal-brown 
  dorsal 
  wing, 
  or 
  shoulder-spot, 
  and 
  an 
  L-shaped 
  

   mark 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  wings, 
  paralleling 
  the 
  dorsal 
  mid-band. 
  The 
  tail 
  down 
  is 
  pale 
  

   chestnut, 
  and 
  the 
  under 
  parts 
  are 
  pale 
  buffy 
  white. 
  The 
  young 
  birds 
  acquire 
  the 
  

   adult 
  dress 
  before 
  the 
  first 
  winter. 
  

  

  Next 
  to 
  the 
  domestic 
  fowl, 
  descendants 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  junglefowl, 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  this 
  genus 
  

   are 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  importance 
  to 
  mankind. 
  They 
  are 
  notable 
  as 
  surpassingly 
  beautiful 
  

   inmates 
  of 
  aviaries, 
  as 
  affording 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  sport 
  to 
  hunters 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  world, 
  as 
  

   invaluable 
  agents 
  in 
  preserving 
  the 
  balance 
  of 
  nature 
  in 
  replacing 
  indigenous 
  game-birds, 
  

   and 
  finally 
  as 
  articles 
  of 
  food, 
  both 
  fresh 
  and 
  conveyed, 
  frozen 
  in 
  cold 
  storage, 
  to 
  the 
  

   most 
  distant 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  earth. 
  

  

  PHASIANUS 
  

  

  Type 
  

   Pkasianus, 
  Linnd 
  Syst. 
  Nat., 
  I. 
  1766, 
  p. 
  270 
  P. 
  colchicus 
  

  

  The 
  forms 
  of 
  Pkasianus 
  which 
  I 
  recognize 
  are 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  the 
  asterisk 
  indicating 
  those 
  represented 
  by 
  

   coloured 
  plates. 
  

  

  Pkasianus 
  * 
  colchicus 
  colchicus 
  Linne. 
  

  

  colchicus 
  septentrionalis 
  Lorenz. 
  

   colchicus 
  talischensis 
  Lorenz. 
  

   colchicus 
  persicus 
  Sewertzow. 
  

  

  * 
  colchicus 
  principalis 
  Sclater. 
  

   colchicus 
  zarudnyi 
  Buturlin. 
  

   colchicus 
  zerafshanicus 
  Tarnovski. 
  

   colchicus 
  bianchii 
  Buturlin. 
  

   colchicus 
  chrysomelas 
  Sewertzow. 
  

   colchicus 
  turcestanicus 
  Lorenz. 
  

  

  * 
  colchicus 
  mongolicus 
  Brandt. 
  

   colchicus 
  shawi 
  Elliot. 
  

  

  * 
  colchicus 
  tarimetisis 
  Pleske. 
  

   colchicus 
  satscheuensis 
  Pleske. 
  

   colchicus 
  vlangalii 
  Przewalski. 
  

  

  * 
  colchicus 
  strauchi 
  Przewalski. 
  

   colchicus 
  elegans 
  Elliot. 
  

  

  * 
  colchicus 
  decollatus 
  Swinhoe. 
  

  

  