'snonoo n H PHASIANWI MONGOLICUS.
MONMLIAp PHEASANT.
PHASIANUS COLCHICUS, var. MONGOLIGUS, Pall. Zoogr. Rosso-Asiat. (1811) tom. ii. p. 84.
P- MONGOLICUS;* Brandt, Bull. Acad.1 Scien. St. P&ersb. vol. iii. p. 54.—Gould, Birds of Asia, pt. x. pi. 1.—Gray, List Gall. (1867) p. 27__
Sclat. P r o c .||p l?Soc. (1863) p. 116, spf'3 —Bon. Compt. Rend. (1856) p. 878.—Gray, Hand-1. Birds, pt. ii. p. 257, no. 9576.
P. GOLCHICUS, Meyendorff, Voy. d’Orembpurg a Bokhara (182Cj>)^.pi 428.
H ab. Altai and Targabatai Mountains ( B randt ) . Gobi Desert, south of Tagnou Mountains, Mongolia, . (A tk in so n ) , Bokhara
(M e y en d o r f f ) .
T h is large species, next to insignis the finest of all the true Pheasants, is native of Mongolia and Chinese Tartary. Its
affinities appear to be closest with the species from Yarkand described by me as insignis, from which it has probably descended.
The differences, hpweyer, are very considerable, and fully warrant us in keeping them distinct a t the present day. The Mongolian
Pheasant hàs always been a very rare bird - in collections ; and no individuals have ever reached Europe alive. It would be an
excellent species to introduce into preserves, w h e re® might be easily naturalized ; and on account of its size (greater than all of its
relatives,' with bnjj one exception) it would S | | a most desirable object for the sportsman, as well as for the table. Brandt was
the first to describe this species as distinct, although Pallas had deemed it but a variety of P . colchicus, from which it differs
materially, and could never be confounded with it'b y any one who had ever seen the two birds—the ^conspicuous white wing of
P . mongoliens,' although present in both the P . insignis and P . Shawi, being at all times sufficient to distinguish it from the P . colchicus.
Meyendorff, in his ‘Voyage from Orenburg to Bokhara,’ writing o f this bird under the name of P. colchicus, says that ‘‘ the
Common Pheasant is found wild in its original state between the rivers Kouwan-déria and Djan-déria.” Nothing is known of the
mode of life of this splendid bird, the countries it inhabits being too far removed from European civilization, and their inhabitants
generally too hostile to strangers ip;,, render it very safe for a naturalist, no matter how daring or enthusiastic, to penetrate in
order to carry on his investigations in natural science. Mr. Atkinson, who is one of the few Europeans who has met with this
species in its native home, states that he “ first observed them on the wooded banks of the Lepson, a river which falls into the
Balkasli; these had the white ring aroimd their necks. They were also seen in vast numbers on the borders of all the small rivers,
and in the wooded ravines in the great horde of Kirghis which stretch along the foot of the Alatou mountains. Further to the
west, pri; the Kizzil-a-gatsh, I found the Common Pheasant in considerable numbers. I have also seen several ■ that were brought
from the country to the west of the river Ilia. After extending my journey to the Gobi Desert, south of the Tangnou mountains,
I again found them oh. the small rivers of Mongolia; and these also had the white ring.’’
Male.—Top of head and'occiput changeable grass-green; throat chestnut; with greenish reflections; sides of neck steel-blue,
with green reflections in the centre lights. A broad white ring around the neck. Bâck fiery red, eaçjiî feather having a green
V-shaped spot in the centre of the tips. Scapulars black in the centre, with a broad buff line running parallel with the shaft ;
outer edges of feathers red, with green reflections. Secondaries light buff, indistinctly mottled with brownish black, chestnut on '
the outer edges. Primaries dark brown! Shoulders and rest of wing white. Rump !}§* the back, but with a decided shade of
green perceptible in most lights. Upper part of breast brilliant red, the tips o f the feathers margined with green. Flanks
golden orange, a large greenish-blue spot at the tip of each feather. Centre of breast and abdomen green. Under tail-coverts
chestnut. Thighs black. Tail very long, light chestnut. The two central feathers crossed by narrow regular black lines for half
their width, continued on the rest of the feather by chestnut, the outer edges of the feathers • having a greenish shade. Lateral
feathers like the middle, except that the base of the inner web is greyish brown, mottled with brownish black. Bare skin of
face crimson ; a tuft of blue feathers beneath the eye. Bill horn-colour. Legs and feet greyish.
Female.—General colour bufly white, barred on top of the head and back of neck with black. Feathers of the upper part of
back have a rosy hue, with the exception of their tips, which are creaimcolour, and with a black spot near thé end. Rest of
upper parts sparely spotted with black, and mottled with rufous at the end of the feathers. Throat buff. Upper part of breast
with a reddish hue. Lower parts huff. Tail rufous brown, crossed with broad black lines, divided by a whitish one. Outer tail-
feathers rufous, barred like the centre ones. Bill horn-coiour. Feet brown.