﻿SYRMATICUS 
  

   LONG-TAILED 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  Family 
  PHASIANIDAE 
  

  

  Subfamily 
  PHASIANINAE 
  

  

  Genus 
  SYRMATICUS 
  

  

  This 
  genus 
  has 
  heretofore 
  contained 
  but 
  a 
  single 
  species, 
  reevesi. 
  After 
  careful 
  

   comparative 
  study 
  I 
  have 
  expanded 
  it 
  to 
  include 
  four 
  additional 
  species, 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Reeves's 
  Pheasant 
  Syrmaticus 
  reevesi 
  (Gray). 
  

  

  Soemmerring's 
  Copper 
  Pheasant 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  Syrmaticus 
  soemmerringi 
  soemmerringt 
  (Temminck). 
  

  

  Scintillating 
  Copper 
  Pheasant 
  .... 
  Syrmaticus 
  soemmerringi 
  scintillans 
  (Gould). 
  

  

  Ijima's 
  Copper 
  Pheasant 
  ..... 
  Syrmaticus 
  soemmerringi 
  ijimae 
  (Dresser). 
  

  

  Hume's 
  Pheasant 
  ...... 
  Syrmaticus 
  humiae 
  humiae 
  (Hume). 
  

  

  Burmese 
  Pheasant 
  Syrmaticus 
  humiae 
  burmanicus 
  (Oates). 
  

  

  Elliot's 
  Pheasant 
  Syrmaticus 
  ellioti 
  (Swinhoe). 
  

  

  Mikado 
  Pheasant 
  ' 
  Syrmaticus 
  mikado 
  (Grant). 
  

  

  A 
  superficial 
  glance 
  at 
  the 
  males 
  of 
  such 
  pheasants 
  as 
  Reeves's, 
  Elliot's, 
  Mikado 
  

   and 
  Copper 
  shows 
  a 
  diversity 
  of 
  colour 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  nothing 
  in 
  common. 
  But 
  

   in 
  the 
  greatly 
  elongated 
  and 
  narrowed 
  central 
  rectrices 
  and 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  characters 
  

   we 
  find 
  that 
  they 
  agree, 
  and 
  differ 
  from 
  the 
  other 
  nearly 
  related 
  genera, 
  especially 
  

   Phasiamts. 
  In 
  the 
  females 
  also 
  we 
  find 
  real 
  criteria 
  of 
  relationship. 
  

  

  Taking 
  females 
  of 
  these 
  five 
  species 
  and 
  placing 
  them 
  side 
  by 
  side 
  we 
  are 
  at 
  once 
  

   struck 
  with 
  the 
  great 
  similarity 
  of 
  their 
  rather 
  specialized 
  colours 
  and 
  patterns. 
  Com- 
  

   parison 
  with 
  the 
  corresponding 
  sex 
  of 
  related 
  genera 
  emphasizes 
  this 
  similarity. 
  The 
  

   following 
  tabulated 
  characters 
  illustrate 
  this 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Syrmaticus 
  females 
  

  

  (a) 
  Lateral 
  rectrices 
  always 
  dominately 
  rufous 
  ; 
  with 
  subterminal 
  black 
  and 
  terminal 
  black 
  bands. 
  

  

  (b) 
  Breast 
  solidly 
  or 
  heavily 
  marked 
  ; 
  belly 
  wholly 
  or 
  dominately 
  white. 
  

  

  (c) 
  Mantle 
  with 
  conspicuous 
  white, 
  arrow 
  shaft-marks, 
  or 
  {soemmerringi) 
  a 
  pale 
  shaft-line 
  or 
  terminal 
  streak. 
  

  

  (d) 
  Central 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  pairs 
  of 
  rectrices 
  with 
  very 
  indistinct 
  cross-bars 
  (except 
  mikado), 
  strikingly 
  unlike 
  the 
  

  

  3rd 
  and 
  other 
  late 
  lateral 
  pairs. 
  

  

  Comparing 
  these 
  characters 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  Phasiamts, 
  for 
  example, 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  

   lateral 
  rectrices 
  with 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  rufous 
  and 
  barred 
  throughout 
  ; 
  the 
  central 
  rectrices 
  not 
  

   differing 
  from 
  the 
  lateral 
  ones 
  and 
  with 
  distinct 
  cross-bars 
  ; 
  the 
  breast 
  never 
  decidedly 
  

  

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