Hybrid Birds 



But this is not really the case ; the Egyptian 

 goose is merely a large sheldrake, and is called 

 a goose by the same right as a big buzzard is 

 often promoted to the rank of an eagle. This 

 hybrid, of which I have seen at least four speci- 

 mens, is, however, very remarkable in its one- 

 sided character. In all specimens I have seen, 

 the ruddy sheldrake has proved strongly pre- 

 potent ; indeed, were it not for its pink legs, 

 slightly greater size and taller figure, and dull 

 colour, the hybrid could scarcely be distinguished 

 from a pure bird of that species, the very marked 

 characteristics of the Egyptian goose disappear- 

 ing almost completely except in the legs. The 

 male hybrid's voice is a husky chatter as in the 

 male Egyptian goose, whose influence is here 

 apparently dominant, since the male ruddy shel- 

 drake has as strong a voice as the female. One 

 formerly at the Zoo used to have a mate of the 

 same cross, but her eggs were always unfertile. 

 This was also the case, as I am told by the 

 bird-keeper at St. James's Park, with those of 

 an Egyptian goose which was mated to a similar 

 male hybrid recently. This hybrid and a brother 

 were bred on the St. James's Park lake not 

 long ago. 



Although this particular hybrid would appear 

 to be sterile, the duck family has afforded several 

 undoubted cases of fertile hybrids. That be- 



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