woods than the P. torquatus, and moreover does not exhibit that inclination to wander, so characteristic
of the Ring-necks, a circumstance much in its favour. Nothing, however, can be more uninteresting to the
man of science than the mongrel varieties produced by the introduction of these new Pheasants, which bid
fair to increase so rapidly, that I have little hesitation in saying, in .twenty years from this time nothing like
a true species will be found in this country ; this, however, will be o f little moment, since they may be
obtained in those portions o f the globe which form their natural habitat ; namely, P. Colchlcus in Asia
Minor, P . torquatus in China, and P . versicolor in Japan.
I cannot close this paper without returning my thanks to John Henry Gurney, Henry Kelsall, and G. D.
Berney, Esqs., for several interesting varieties of these pheasants.
The male has the forehead, crown and occiput purplish oil-green ; ear-tufts glossy-green ; chin, throat,
sides and back of the neck glossy changeable bluish-green ; back of the neck, breast, and under
surface deep shining grass-green, with shades o f purple on the back o f the neck and upper p art o f the
breast ; feathers of the back and scapularies chestnut with fruflÿ shafts, and two narrow lines o f buff running
round each, about equidistant from each other and from the margin; lower p art of the back and upper
tail-coverts light glaucous-grey; shoulders and wing-coverts light greenish-grey washed with purple;
primaries brown on the internal web, toothed with dull white at the base, outer web greyer and irregularly
banded with dull white; tertiaries brown freckled with grey, and margined, first with greenish-grey, and
then with reddish chestnut ; centre of the abdomen and thighs blackish-brown ; tail glaucous-grey, slightly
fringed with purplish, and with a series of black marks down the centre, opposite to each other at the base
of the feathers, where they assume a band-like form ; as they advance towards the tip they become gradually
more and more irregular, until they are arranged alternately, and in like manner gradually increase in size;
on the lateral feathers these marks are much smaller, and on the outer ones are entirely wanting, those
feathers being covered with freckles o f brown ; orbits crimson-red, interspersed with minute tufts o f black
feathers ; eyes yellowish-hazel ; bill and feet greenish horn-colour.
Compared with the female o f the Common Pheasant, the hen o f the present bird has all the markings
much stronger, and is altogether of a darker colour. She has the whole of the upper surface very dark or
blackish-brown, each feather broadly edged with buff, passing in some o f the feathers to a chestnut hue ;
those of the head, and particularly o f the back, with a small oval spot of deep glossy-green close to thé
tip ; primaries and secondaries light brown, irregularly barred with buff, and with buffy shafts ; tertiaries
dark brown, broadly edged with buff on their inner webs, and mottled with duD pale chestnut on the outer "
web, the edge of which is buff; tail dark brown, mottled with buff and black on the edges, and crossed fry
narrow irregular bands of buff bordered on either side with blotches of dark brown ; on the lateral feathers
the lighter edges nearly disappear, and the bands assume a more irregular form ; throat buff; all the
remainder o f the under surface buff, with a large irregular arrow-head-shaped mark near the top o f each
feather ; thighs similar, but the dark mark nearly obsolete.
The Plate represents the two sexes about three-fourths o f the natural size, from a drawing by Mr. Wolf.