36 Mr. Robert Collett on 



h. Nearly typical L. excubitor. 

 One male. — An unusually large and liglit-coloured spe- 

 cimen; total length 276 mm. Traces of vermiculations ; 

 basal mark on secondaries rather short (18 mm.), impure in 

 colour, and mixed with black. Aker, 8th Nov., 188J^. 



c. Intermediate between L. excubitor and L. major. 



One male. — Traces of vermiculations ; basal spot on secon- 

 daries short (14-16 mm.), colour impure and mixed with 

 black. Aker, 22nd Oct., 1884. 



One specimen (sex undetermined) . — Faint vermiculations ; 

 basal spot on the secondaries short (10-11 ram.). Odalen, 



Oct. 1868. 



d. Nearly typical L. major. 



One male. — Traces of vermiculations ; faint indication of 

 basal spot on second feather of the secondaries (8 mm.). 

 Aker, 12th Sept., 1884. 



e. Typical L. major. 

 One male. — No vermiculations ; basal spot on secondaries 

 indicated by an almost imperceptible sprinkling of white on 

 a single feather. Hamar, 8th Nov., 1885. 



/. Intermediate between L. excubitor and L. borealis. 



One male. — Broad vermiculations on abdomen and ujiper 



tail-coverts ; upper surface mixed with reddish grey ; basal 



spot on secondaries short (14-15 mm.), colour impure; first 



ail-feather with the black spot large (41 mm.) . Hamar, 5th 



Nov., 1881*. 



* This specimen is licardly distinguishable from a female specimen of 

 L. horealis from Nevada (28th March, 1868, Smiths. Inst.), the only 

 example of that form at present in our museum, save in one respect, viz. 

 that the Norwegian individual has a short basal mark on the secondaries, 

 a character, perhaps, never met with in the true L. borealis. But 

 tbe said mark is wholly concealed by tbe coverts, and if these are not 

 moved aside the two examples would pass as absolutely identical. From 

 my own investigations, I cannot venture to decide whether L. borealis also 

 exhibits traces of a similar basal mark on the secondaries. In any case 

 L. borealis can hardly be otherwise regarded than as one more link in the 

 long unbroken series of varieties that L. major or L. excubitor — whichever 

 form be taken as the original— sends forth in all directions. 



