﻿EASTERN 
  CHINESE 
  RING-NECKED 
  PHEASANT 
  

  

  Phasianus 
  colchicus 
  torquatus 
  Gmelin 
  

  

  NAMES.— 
  Subspecific 
  : 
  torquatus, 
  Latin, 
  adorned 
  with 
  a 
  collar. 
  English: 
  Eastern 
  Chinese 
  Ring-neck; 
  

   Gmelin's 
  Pheasant. 
  Chinese 
  : 
  Teh-chi 
  (Wild 
  Chicken) 
  ; 
  Shan-chi 
  (Mountain 
  or 
  Hill 
  Chicken). 
  

  

  TYPE.— 
  Locality 
  : 
  South-east 
  China. 
  Describer 
  : 
  Gmelin. 
  Place 
  of 
  Description: 
  S.N. 
  I. 
  pt. 
  II. 
  1788, 
  

   p. 
  742. 
  

  

  SUBSPECIFIC 
  CHARACTERS.— 
  The 
  white 
  collar 
  is 
  usually 
  interrupted 
  in 
  front, 
  and 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  wide 
  than 
  it 
  

   is 
  in 
  karpowi 
  and 
  hagenbecki, 
  while 
  it 
  is, 
  in 
  turn, 
  wider 
  and 
  more 
  distinct 
  than 
  in 
  strauchi, 
  and 
  the 
  nearest 
  

   individuals 
  of 
  decollates. 
  The 
  flank 
  feathers 
  are 
  usually 
  darker 
  and 
  richer 
  in 
  colour 
  than 
  mformosanus. 
  

  

  GEOGRAPHICAL 
  DISTRIBUTION 
  

   Eastern 
  and 
  south-eastern 
  China 
  from 
  Canton 
  to 
  Hunan, 
  north 
  to 
  the 
  Lower 
  and 
  

   Middle 
  Yangtse, 
  up 
  river 
  at 
  least 
  to 
  Ichang 
  ; 
  north 
  to 
  Pekin, 
  Kalgan, 
  and 
  the 
  Ordos 
  

   country. 
  It 
  doubtless 
  interdigitates 
  with 
  karpowi 
  in 
  some 
  northern 
  district, 
  and 
  with 
  

   strauchi 
  and 
  decollatus 
  in 
  the 
  west. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  This, 
  the 
  last 
  form 
  of 
  Phasianus 
  colchicus 
  to 
  be 
  discussed, 
  shares 
  with 
  the 
  first 
  — 
  

   typical 
  colchicus 
  colchicus— 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  being 
  very 
  widely 
  known. 
  The 
  Chinese 
  Ring-neck 
  

   has 
  been 
  introduced 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  world 
  and 
  has 
  thrived 
  in 
  every 
  temperate 
  climate 
  of 
  

   Europe 
  and 
  America. 
  

  

  In 
  its 
  native 
  haunts 
  it 
  has 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  widest 
  distribution 
  of 
  any 
  form. 
  Many 
  

   attempts 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  divide 
  it 
  into 
  subspecies 
  or 
  even 
  species, 
  but 
  my 
  experience 
  

   in 
  shooting 
  along 
  the 
  Lower 
  and 
  Middle 
  Yangtse, 
  on 
  the 
  Min 
  River 
  inland 
  from 
  

   Foochow, 
  and 
  south 
  of 
  Pekin, 
  has 
  compelled 
  me 
  to 
  consider 
  these 
  as 
  individual 
  

   variations. 
  I 
  have 
  already 
  told 
  of 
  the 
  unreliability 
  of 
  rump 
  colouring, 
  and 
  the 
  breadth 
  

   or 
  narrowness 
  or 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  collar 
  in 
  specific 
  differentiation 
  of 
  these 
  birds. 
  

  

  I 
  spent 
  several 
  months 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  Eastern 
  China, 
  and 
  had 
  abundant 
  

   opportunity 
  of 
  observing 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  Ring-necked 
  Pheasant. 
  Several 
  gentlemen 
  

   went 
  to 
  great 
  trouble 
  to 
  furnish 
  me 
  with 
  the 
  data 
  which 
  I 
  was 
  unable 
  personally 
  to 
  

   obtain. 
  Among 
  these, 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  R. 
  Maguire 
  of 
  Wuhu, 
  Mr. 
  Herbert 
  Kyne 
  of 
  

   H.M.S. 
  Cadmus, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  T. 
  Wade 
  were 
  especially 
  kind 
  and 
  able 
  to 
  give 
  excellent 
  

   pictures 
  of 
  torquatus 
  as 
  they 
  had 
  observed 
  it 
  from 
  both 
  a 
  naturalist's 
  and 
  a 
  sportman's 
  

   point 
  of 
  view. 
  My 
  heartiest 
  thanks 
  go 
  to 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  conditions 
  of 
  life, 
  general 
  habits 
  and 
  ecological 
  environments 
  of 
  the 
  pheasants 
  

   as 
  we 
  find 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  Lower 
  and 
  Middle 
  Yangtse 
  region 
  is 
  very 
  typical 
  of 
  their 
  near 
  

   relations 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  west, 
  and 
  to 
  attempt 
  correspondingly 
  a 
  picture 
  of 
  the 
  

   numerous 
  other 
  subspecies 
  would 
  be 
  to 
  duplicate 
  almost 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  facts. 
  

  

  