agi seeds, I have seen this Pheasant frequenting the

‘der to obtain Ah
eee On the Syr (Jaxartes) all these haunts

near the river Karakol.
but this bird is also very commonly found in the dense reeds of
h [never met with an Oxus Pheasant. The flocks of this

as well as peas and lupins.
Saxaul woods (Holoxylon ammodendron)
are frequented by Phasianus mong olicus

ing sw maka ality in whic
summer-drying swamps, a kind of locality wy
es a eather themselves together more closely at night, which

on disperse ‘ing the day
last species, though often dispersed during eo i rt
,as in summer. I have also found them assembling for the night

they generally pass in the densest bushes a |
i 6 wm-yards, which on the Oxus, as well as in Turkestan, are built

on the walls of abandoned and deserted fe

of clay, in the form of small fortresses, ;
ll probability in the winter too, this Pheasant feeds the whole day long, and grows

‘Tn the autumn, and in a |
whereas in summer, as we have seen, it feeds only in the

very fat, even before the moult is finished ; a
morning and evening, resting during the heat of the day in the shade of the jungle. Its flesh is white and

tender, rendering it a first-rate bird for the table. When flushed, it flies at first perpendicularly with a
great noise about ten or twelve yards high in the air, then horizontally at the same height for about a
hundred yards, and at last sinks obliquely into the jungle, where it 1s not ayy to find again, even though
the spot be correctly marked ; its flight is very short and heavy, though rapid. In dense bushes it will
run in front of the sportsman, until it decides on flight ; in open spaces ae . runs out of reach of shot;
and winged birds can go at a great rate of speed. In some places, such for instance as the Karakol and
near the Dankara Lake, they are plentiful enough to be hunted profitably without a dog; but this is not
the case where they are scarcer, as near Petroalexandrowsk. A dog, however, is more useful to scent out
where a Pheasant is hidden in the bush, as it is not much use trying to follow a dog in the jungle, especially
as a Pheasant never makes a stand, but keeps on running continually before the dog, just as a Landrail
does. I have never seen a dog bring one of these Pheasants to perch, as is related of P. colchicus in the
Caucasus; and indeed P. chrysomelas is eminently a ground-bird, perching only exceptionally, although
commencing to do so at an earlier season than P. mongolicus. ‘This latter species I have only seen perch in
the depth of winter, viz. on two occasions in January 1875, and never before, during many years of
observation. Both the species mentioned were seen to perch only in L/eagnus trees.

“The female of P. chrysomelas is, both in proportions and general colouring, exceedingly like the female
of P. mongolicus ; on an average, however, the head is smaller, the bill and the feet more slender, and the
toes somewhat shorter; but these characters vary with individuals of both species, as also do the details of
coloration. The only difference that I found to be more constant is to be noticed in the black markings
of the hind neck (cervix); the female of P. chrysomedas has each feather on this part marked with a single
black horse-shoe of variable shape, while the female of P. mongolicus has two large transverse oval spots :
but the three females of P. chrysomelas which I possess can scarcely be considered sufficient to fix these
characters as constant.”

In conclusion I may state that the figure in the plate is taken from one of Dr.’ Severtzoff’s typical
specimens, given by him to Mr. Osbert Salvin. From Mr. Salvin this fine bird passed to my own
collection, which contains a complete series of this group of birds.

My readers will have no difficulty in perceiving the masterly hand of Mr. Wolf in the outline of both the
drawings of Pheasants in the present part.

Lhe principal figure on the accompanying Plate is about one tenth less than the natural size.

&

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