HYBRID BIRDS 



The lover of birds may congratulate himself on 

 the fact that his favourite class of animals has 

 supplied more information to the student of the 

 fascinating and difficult problems of hybridism 

 than any other, birds being themselves more 

 prone to hybridism than other creatures, and 

 having been studied by so many observers both 

 in the wild state and in confinement. 



Wild hybrids are indeed rare, but they are of 

 much more frequent occurrence than is generally 

 supposed. They are most numerous among the 

 species of the grouse family ; the cross between 

 the blackcock (Lyrurzis tetrix) and the caper- 

 cailzie ( Tetrao urogallus) occurs every year, and 

 has even received a special name (Rakkelhane) 

 from Scandinavian sportsmen. Many instances 

 of crosses between the blackcock and red 

 grouse (Lagopus scoticus) have also been re- 

 corded ; but, curiously enough, the latter bird 

 and the ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus), although so 

 much more nearly related, appear never to inter- 

 breed. Various other grouse crosses have 

 occurred, but for variety of hybrids the grouse 

 must give place to the ducks. In this family at 



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