THE PHEASANT. 873 



Soft parts. — Bill pale greenish -yellow ; legs and feet horn- 

 grey, tinged brown ; iris hazel ; bare skin round eyes bright ver- 

 milion. 



Characters and allied eorms. — Numerous forms have been 

 separated and males of those recognized may be briefly 

 grouped as follows : (A) more western forms with rufous rump and 

 narrow bars on tail ((a) no white collar and brownish wing-coverts) 

 Ph. c. colchicus (S.W. side of Caucasus range, basins of Rlon and 

 Chorokh rivers), Ph. c. septentrionalis (N. side of Caucasus range 

 from Sea of Azoff to Caspian) and Ph. c. talischensis (S.W. corner 

 of Caspian), ((b) no white collar and whitish wing-coverts) Ph. c. 

 persicus (S.E. corner of Caspian) and Ph. c. principalis (N.W. 

 Afghanistan, S. Turkestan), ((c) small white collar or traces of it 

 and whitish wing-coverts) Ph. c. zarudnyi (W. Bokhara, Oxus river), 

 Ph. c. zarafschanicus (Zarafshan), Ph. c. bianchii (Upper Oxus), 

 Ph. c. chrysomelas (Delta of Oxus) and Ph. c. shawi (W. Chinese 

 Turkestan), ((d) broad white collar, whitish wing-coverts, rufous 

 rump with deep greenish -purple gloss) Ph. c. turcestanicus (Russian 

 Turkestan, N.E. Aral Sea and Syr Daria valley) and Ph. c. mon- 

 golicus (Kirghiz) ; (B) intermediate form with rump buffish-green 

 mixed with rufous at sides and tail-coverts, bars on tail rather broad, 

 (wing-coverts brown-buff, no white collar) Ph. c. tarimensis (E. 

 Chinese Turkestan) ; (C) more eastern forms with greenish or grey- 

 blue rump with rusty -orange patches at sides, broad bars on tail, and 

 blue-grey wing-coverts ((a) no white collar) Ph. c. vlangalii (E. 

 Tsaidam), Ph. c. strauchi (S. Kansu to Tsinling Mts.), Ph c. 

 suehschanensis (Siiehshan), Ph. c. elegans (E. Tibet to S. Shans) 

 and Ph. c. decollatus (S.W. China), ((b) with incomplete white 

 collar) Ph. c. torquatus (E. China), Ph. c. formosanus (Formosa) 

 and Ph. c. satscheuensis (W. Kansu), ((c) with complete and broad 

 white collar) Ph. c. hagenbecki (extreme W. Mongolia), Ph. c. pallasi 

 (N. and central Manchuria, Ussuriland) and Ph. c. Jcarpoivi (S. 

 Manchuria, Corea). Phasianus versicolor (Japan) has dark green 

 mantle and under -parts and greenish rump. Pheasant is distin- 

 guished from other British game-birds by its long, graduated, 

 narrow tail. 



Field -characters .—For the most part a semi-domesticated bird 

 of parks, woodlands and game-preserves, which in most districts 

 cannot maintain itself in absence of preservation and nurture. 

 Outstanding feature, alike of burnished copper-coloured male and 

 more soberly plumaged buff female, is long tail which identifies 

 Pheasant under all circumstances, whether feeding on grass or 

 among growing crops, as it runs crouching for cover, or crosses from 

 point to point with rapid direct and noisy flight. Crow of male is a 

 far-sounding, harsh " koch-koch " which is followed by a beating 

 of wings. 



Breeding-habits. — A woodland haunting species at night but 

 straying over meadows and on to moors during day. Nest . — Hollow 



