﻿TARIM 
  PHEASANT 
  

  

  Phasianus 
  colchicus 
  tarimensis 
  Pleske 
  

  

  NAMES. 
  — 
  Subspecific 
  : 
  tarimensis, 
  after 
  the 
  Tarim 
  River, 
  the 
  lower 
  valley 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  bird's 
  chief 
  haunt. 
  

   English 
  : 
  Tarim 
  Pheasant. 
  

  

  TYPE. 
  — 
  Describer 
  : 
  Pleske. 
  Place 
  of 
  Description 
  : 
  Reisen 
  in 
  Tibet 
  by 
  Przewalski, 
  1883, 
  p. 
  95. 
  

  

  Subspecific 
  Characters. 
  — 
  Male 
  : 
  Closely 
  resembles 
  shawi, 
  but 
  the 
  lesser 
  and 
  median 
  wing-coverts 
  are 
  

   sandy-rufous 
  instead 
  of 
  whitish 
  ; 
  breast 
  fiery 
  bronze 
  red, 
  glossed 
  with 
  oily 
  green 
  and 
  purple, 
  and 
  without 
  marginal 
  

   band 
  of 
  black 
  ; 
  edges 
  of 
  rump 
  and 
  upper 
  tail-coverts 
  greenish 
  buff, 
  not 
  orange 
  red. 
  Female 
  : 
  Similar 
  to 
  the 
  

   female 
  of 
  shawi. 
  

  

  GEOGRAPHICAL 
  DISTRIBUTION 
  

  

  Eastern 
  parts 
  of 
  Chinese 
  Turkestan, 
  including 
  the 
  lower 
  Tarim 
  and 
  Cherchen-Daria 
  

   and 
  the 
  lakes 
  Bagrach-kul 
  and 
  Lob-nor. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  Together 
  with 
  the 
  Yarkand 
  Pheasant 
  {shawi) 
  the 
  Tarim 
  bird 
  occupies 
  a 
  range 
  

   enclosed, 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  by 
  deserts 
  and 
  mountains. 
  On 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  north-west 
  the 
  

   great 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  Tian-Shan 
  separates 
  it 
  from 
  mongolicus, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  the 
  waterless 
  

   Kum-Tag 
  desert 
  intervenes 
  between 
  it 
  and 
  the 
  grey-rumped 
  satscheuensis 
  ; 
  and 
  from 
  

   vlangalii 
  in 
  the 
  south-east 
  it 
  is 
  shut 
  off 
  by 
  the 
  lofty 
  and 
  majestic 
  Altyn-Tag. 
  To 
  the 
  

   west 
  the 
  way 
  is 
  more 
  open 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  Tarim 
  River 
  it 
  somewhere 
  meets 
  

   the 
  easternmost 
  individuals 
  of 
  the 
  Yarkand 
  Pheasant. 
  

  

  Here 
  in 
  Eastern 
  Turkestan 
  we 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  this 
  great 
  

   Asiatic 
  genus 
  of 
  pheasants. 
  The 
  disintegrated, 
  hairy 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  back 
  and 
  

   rump 
  feathers 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  salient 
  characters 
  of 
  Phasianus, 
  and 
  here 
  in 
  mid-Asia 
  

   we 
  find 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  divergence 
  in 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  these 
  feathers. 
  From 
  the 
  Caucasus 
  

   eastward 
  we 
  have 
  had 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  coppery- 
  red 
  rumped 
  birds. 
  From 
  now 
  onward 
  to 
  the 
  

   Pacific 
  we 
  shall 
  find 
  the 
  rumps 
  of 
  the 
  pheasants 
  to 
  be 
  olive 
  grey. 
  The 
  Tarim 
  bird 
  with 
  

   its 
  greenish-buffy 
  rump 
  is 
  somewhat 
  intermediate, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  shows 
  a 
  dominant 
  

   relationship 
  to 
  the 
  western 
  group, 
  through 
  the 
  Yarkand 
  Pheasant, 
  while 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  

   clearly 
  distinguished 
  from 
  its 
  neighbours 
  by 
  its 
  yellowish-brown 
  wing-coverts. 
  In 
  shawi 
  

   these 
  feathers 
  are 
  yellowish 
  white, 
  in 
  mongolians 
  silvery 
  white, 
  in 
  vlangalii 
  ashy 
  grey 
  

   tinged 
  with 
  greenish, 
  while 
  the 
  wing-coverts 
  of 
  satscheuensis 
  are 
  lavender 
  grey. 
  

  

  SYNONYMY 
  

  

  Phasianus 
  shawi 
  Przewalski, 
  Proc. 
  Imp. 
  Russ. 
  Geogr. 
  Soc, 
  XIII. 
  1877, 
  p. 
  275 
  (Lob-nor) 
  (nee 
  Elliot, 
  1870). 
  

  

  Phasianus 
  tarimensis 
  Przewalski, 
  from 
  Taissan 
  through 
  Khami 
  to 
  Tibet, 
  1883, 
  p. 
  95 
  [descr. 
  nulla) 
  ; 
  Przewalski, 
  

   Reisen 
  in 
  Tibet, 
  1884, 
  p. 
  59; 
  Pleske, 
  Proc. 
  Zool. 
  Soc. 
  London, 
  1888, 
  p. 
  415 
  (Karaschar 
  to 
  Lob-nor); 
  Grant, 
  Cat, 
  

   Birds 
  Brit. 
  Mus., 
  1893, 
  XXII. 
  p. 
  327 
  ; 
  Kozlow, 
  Res. 
  Imp. 
  Russ. 
  Geogr. 
  S. 
  Exped. 
  C. 
  Asia, 
  II. 
  1899, 
  PP- 
  74> 
  2 
  86, 
  

   (Koncke-Daria) 
  ; 
  Sharpe, 
  Hand-list 
  Birds, 
  Vol. 
  I. 
  1899, 
  p. 
  37; 
  Dresser, 
  Manual 
  Palae. 
  Birds, 
  II. 
  1903, 
  p. 
  662 
  

   (subsp. 
  of 
  Ph. 
  persicus) 
  ; 
  Buturlin, 
  Ibis, 
  1904, 
  p. 
  397 
  (Eastern 
  Chinese 
  Turkestan); 
  Dresser, 
  Ibis, 
  1905, 
  p. 
  152, 
  

   ( 
  e 
  gg) 
  ! 
  Buturlin, 
  Ibis, 
  1908, 
  pp. 
  585, 
  589. 
  

  

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

   XXIV. 
  1917, 
  p. 
  451. 
  

  

  103 
  

  

  