the typical specimens o f Thaumalea obscura—a liberality eminently characteristic o f the Director of the Leyden
Museum, who worthily fulfils th e desires and intention of his Government in rendering all assistance possible for the
advancement o f science.
To Dr. J . Anderson, Director o f the Indian .Museum, Calcutta, who sent to London the unique example of
Eivplocamw Andersoni, to he represented in this p o n o g r a p h , the Author begs to return his sincere thanks. To his
esteemed friend George, Newbold, Esq., who superintended the work in New York, the Author is under many
obligations. The beautiful and delicate manner in which Mr. Smit has lithographed the drawings, establishes
him in the .front rank of those who have made this difficult branch o f a rt their profession; and the printing of the
plates by Messrs. H. and N. Hanhart, and the colouring by Mr. J . D. White, have been equally well executed.
In saying th a t the text has been printed by Messrs. Taylor and Francis, the Author merely states th a t the best
printers of the day, of scientific works, have been entrusted with th e task, and th a t nothing regarding th a t portion
of the Monograph is left to be desired. To /his friend J . Wolf, Esq., whose wonderful talent and intimate
knowledge o f the structure o f animals have produced the exquisite representations of the many species depicted in
the work, and who has in every way exerted himself to render his pictures faithful portraits o f the individual birds
as they appear in life, the Author feels th at lie can b u t inadequately express his great obligations, and is sure
th at all naturalists will join him in acknowledging th at Mr. W<jp: is th e only one who has succeeded in elevating
to its proper position in art both ornithological and mammal ogical illustration.
And, in cpndusion, the Author would acknowledge the obligation he is under to those who have honoured this
work with their support, without which its successful completion would have been but improbable—whose assistance
has encouraged him in his arduous task, and lightened materially the difficulties of his undertaking.
I N T S O D U f T I O N .
O f all the families composing tlie Ornithological System; no one is so important to the human race as that of which this Monograph treats.
Containing within it the species that afford food for thousands of mankind, and also those which are the original source of all the domestic
poultry met with throughout the civilized world, forming a t one and the same time the wealth and means of subsistence of miiltitudes of
peoples, we readily recognize the inestimable value of those birds which constitute the great family of the Phasianidte. When engaged
upon the Monograph of the Tetraoninæ, I knew I was writing the history of a group which were most important in their relation to
man, and the extinction of which (as regards some of the species, evidently only a question of time) would be a serious loss. But
the Grouse, excepting those o f the genus Lagopus, are restricted in their habitat ; and their untamable disposition, as well as the
peculiar food required for their subsistence, together with the character of country they are accustomed to live in, render them incapable
o f domestication; and therefore all efforts fo rjth e ir naturalization' in different parts of the world have invariably failed. Their
disappearance from the earth, then, although a very serious loss, yet, with one exception, would be merely so many game-birds the less;
and mankind would hot feel it."-’ The exception is the Ptarmigan, which in certain- latitudes encircle the globe and form an important
staple for food among the wild tribes which live in the far northern portions of the earth. But as these; kill the birds only for food
and not for barter, and as they appreciate their value too highly I p commit unnecessary slaughter, as is frequently the case among
civilized people with game-birds, it is not probable that this division of the Grouse family will ever be exterminated. As regards
the members of the Pbasianidæ, however, it is a very different matter. With but few exceptions they are all capable of becoming
naturalized, and familiar objects around the abodes of man. Who would not feel the deprivation if there were no poultry, turkeys,
or guinea-fowl obtainable ? In a'sanita ry point of view alone how great would be the calamity, without regarding the loss certain
to' ensue to commerce and trade ! But now it may be said that thère is! no fear of such an event, as the domestic races of the
birds just mentioned are too firmly and widely established throughout the world ever to become extinct. Fortunately this is probably
the case ; but the fact that their value is so well appreciated only makes it the more imperative, not only that those species already
secured should be raised to the greatest degree of perfection possible, but also that no opportunity should be neglected of introducing
new forms among our acclimatized races from the many species of this family which are still only known to us in their wild state
or as inhabitants of various Zoological gardens, where their beauty is one of the chief attractions of their departments.
The above remarks seem all the more necessary for the reason that, in many countries inhabited by members of the Phasianidæ,
whole districts, where 'formerly certain species were abundaht, contain now few, if any, individuals, and the sportsman must betake
himself to far-distaut localities to find the birds in any numbers. So destructive are man’s propensities, more especially civilized
man’s, with this class of animals, that, unless stringent laws are enforced for their protection, they soon disappear from their
accustomed'haunts, victims to the unchecked slaughter miscalled Sport.
As hybridism is very prevalent among birds, particularly among other groups of the gallinaceous type, we may naturally expect to
perceive its effects also in the members of the Phasianidæ ; and on investigation the résuit shows that it is carried to a greater
extent in this family than perhaps in any other known. Many individuals, owing their existence to the pairing of different species,
have been , described as distinct species themselves ; this was not at all an uncommon occurrence among the authors who wrote
at the be<*innino- 0f this century ; and a considerable amount of the confusion existing in the nomenclature of the Family arises
in a great measure from the - inability displayed of recognizing a. hybrid when met with. No one who has had any experience
with this class of birds in the matter of breeding will deny their proclivities for unnatural selection when possible ; and at the
present day whole districts of country in India are inhabited by hybrids, which breed to some extent among themselves, but which
also imperceptibly graduate from their extreme differences into the two species living on either side of them, to which they owe