﻿ZERAFSHAN 
  PHEASANT 
  

  

  Phasianus 
  colckicus 
  zerafshanicus 
  Tarnovski 
  

  

  Names. 
  — 
  Subspecific 
  : 
  zerafshanicus, 
  after 
  its 
  habitat, 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  Zerafshan. 
  English 
  : 
  Zerafshan 
  

   Pheasant. 
  

  

  Type. 
  — 
  Locality 
  : 
  Valley 
  of 
  Zerafshan. 
  Describer 
  : 
  Tarnovski. 
  Place 
  of 
  Description 
  : 
  The 
  Field, 
  

   LXXVII. 
  1891, 
  p. 
  409. 
  

  

  Subspecific 
  Characters. 
  — 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  eastern 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  group 
  of 
  rufous-bellied 
  pheasants. 
  It 
  

   resembles 
  persicus 
  in 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  its 
  breast 
  and 
  mongolicus 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  a 
  white 
  collar. 
  Both 
  of 
  these 
  

   characters 
  separate 
  it 
  from 
  birds 
  of 
  the 
  principalis 
  group. 
  

  

  GEOGRAPHICAL 
  DISTRIBUTION 
  

  

  The 
  Valley 
  of 
  Zerafshan 
  in 
  Bokhara 
  ; 
  the 
  northern 
  boundary 
  separating 
  it 
  from 
  

   turcestanicus 
  is 
  the 
  watershed 
  of 
  the 
  Zerafshan 
  and 
  the 
  Syr-Daria 
  rivers 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  

   the 
  Gissar 
  Mountains 
  separate 
  it 
  from 
  bianchii 
  ; 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  zarudnyi 
  nearly 
  meets 
  it 
  

   as 
  at 
  times 
  of 
  high 
  water 
  the 
  Zerafshan 
  floods 
  nearly 
  to 
  the 
  Amu-Daria. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  information 
  we 
  have 
  concerning 
  this 
  pheasant 
  is 
  given 
  by 
  its 
  discoverer, 
  

   Lieutenant 
  Tarnovski. 
  He 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  The 
  Pheasant 
  of 
  the 
  Zarafshan 
  has 
  a 
  mode 
  of 
  life 
  

   totally 
  differing 
  from 
  its 
  other 
  Asiatic 
  brethren, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  high 
  state 
  of 
  cultivation 
  

   of 
  the 
  Zarafshan 
  Valley 
  ; 
  it 
  breeds 
  and 
  nests 
  in 
  reed-swamps 
  and 
  marshes 
  bordering 
  

   on 
  this 
  stream, 
  and 
  takes 
  its 
  food 
  from 
  the 
  neighbouring 
  fields 
  and 
  gardens. 
  The 
  best 
  

   time 
  for 
  obtaining 
  it 
  is 
  just 
  before 
  sunrise, 
  when 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  congregated 
  in 
  the 
  

   reed-swamps 
  mentioned 
  above. 
  Mr. 
  Klossovski 
  shot, 
  in 
  November 
  1890, 
  a 
  hen 
  of 
  this 
  

   species 
  in 
  male 
  plumage." 
  

  

  SYNONYMY 
  

  

  Phasianus 
  zerafshanicus 
  Tarnovski, 
  The 
  Field, 
  LXXVII. 
  1891, 
  p. 
  409; 
  Grant, 
  Cat. 
  Birds 
  Brit. 
  Mus., 
  XXII, 
  

   i893, 
  P- 
  326 
  ; 
  Grant, 
  Hand-book 
  Game-birds, 
  Vol. 
  II. 
  1897, 
  P- 
  *7 
  J 
  Sharpe, 
  Hand-list 
  Birds, 
  Vol. 
  I. 
  1899, 
  p. 
  37 
  ; 
  

   Buturlin, 
  Ibis, 
  1904, 
  p. 
  391 
  ; 
  Carruthers, 
  Ibis, 
  1910, 
  p. 
  472, 
  pi. 
  VII. 
  

  

  Phasianus 
  klossowskii 
  Tarnovski, 
  The 
  Field, 
  LXXVII. 
  1891, 
  p. 
  409; 
  Zarudny, 
  Orn. 
  Faun. 
  Transcasp., 
  1896, 
  

   p. 
  483. 
  

  

  Phasianus 
  principalis, 
  var. 
  Klossowskii 
  Zarudny, 
  Note 
  on 
  a 
  new 
  subspecies 
  of 
  Pheasant, 
  1891, 
  p. 
  1. 
  

  

  Phasianus 
  tarnovskii 
  Seebohm, 
  Proc. 
  Zool. 
  Soc. 
  London, 
  1892, 
  p. 
  271. 
  

  

  Phasianus 
  zarafshanicus 
  Dresser, 
  Manual 
  Palae. 
  Birds, 
  1903, 
  p. 
  661 
  (subsp. 
  of 
  Ph. 
  persicus). 
  

  

  Phasianus 
  colckicus 
  zerafshanicus 
  Rothschild, 
  Bull. 
  Brit. 
  Orn. 
  Club, 
  XIV. 
  1904, 
  p. 
  37 
  ; 
  Hartert, 
  Nov. 
  Zool. 
  

   XXIV. 
  1917, 
  p. 
  450. 
  

  

  92 
  

  

  