ACCIDENTAL VAIlIliTIES. 3 



ujiper part of the back white, with laist-coloured, tine, 

 brown, wavy spots ; lower part of the back black, inter- 

 spersed with white feathers ; belly and tail spotted with 

 white ; legs dirty-white. 



2nd. A male taken in Lapland, and now in the Thun- 

 berg collection at Upsala, under the name of Tetrao 

 Erem'ita. — Less than ordinary size; colour ash-grey, with 

 bead and neck somewhat darker. 



3rd. A female in the same collection. — Very pale ; 

 upper part of the body grey, with yellowish and white 

 bars ; under part white with vasty-red bars ; and the breast 

 red-brown. 



4th. A female from JEnontekis in Lapland, and at 

 present in the Stockholm museum. — Colour dirty-Avhite, 

 here and there shaded with brow^nish spots. 



The Professor, when speaking of the varieties in ques- 

 tion, says, " One finds that all these belong to the high 

 north, that their colour is faded, and that they are most 

 commonly of a less size than usual, two circumstances 

 which may easily be the consequence of a severe and 

 uncongenial climate." 



There may be some truth in the above remarks ; but if 

 Nilsson imagines that accidental varieties amongst Caper- 

 cali are confined to the northern parts of Scandinavia, he 

 Avould seem somewhat in erroi% as they are sometimes 

 met with in the more southern provinces of Sweden. Of 

 such a variety of a female, I subjoin the j)ortrait kindly sent 

 me by the late Count Carl Piper, with the following note 

 in his own handwriting appended : — 



" This bird was killed in the beginning of September, 

 1828, in the province of Smaland. She had a brood of 

 young ones with her, one of which, a female, was also 

 shot ; and this young one, nearly full-grown, had tho 

 usual colour of a capercali hen." 



At times one meets with Barren ITens (Gall-TTd)wr, 



B 2 



