146 THE NATCEALIST IN NORWAY. 



ralists on the subject. The following is the descrip- 

 tion of a specimen of this hybrid in the Zoological 

 Museum at Christiania. Head and nape of the neck 

 lavender, streaked with black ; a mark of buff over the 

 eye; throat and breast white, the latter spangled 

 with black ; the under parts snow-white ; back and 

 wings black, streaked with ash-gray; tail black, 

 marked here and there with white; flight feathers 

 white ; under tail feathers white ; tarsi and toes thickly 

 covered with short white feathers. This specimen 

 came from Osterdalen, and was preserved in an in- 

 genious manner. It was so " high" when it reached 

 Professor Esmark at Christiania that when handled, 

 the skin separated into thirteen pieces; the feathers 

 also dropped off the skin. The professor, who is an 

 accomplished taxidermist, placed the pieces of the 

 bird's skin in warm water, and when he had cleansed 

 them, he fitted them on a common bladder with gum. 

 The feathers were then taken singly, and fastened on 

 the bladder with gum. It is a perfect specimen now, 

 as it stands in the above-mentioned museum. The 

 habits of this hybrid are unknown. 



The hazel grouse of Latham, Tetrao bonasia of Lin- 

 naeus, is commonly found in the central parts of Nor- 

 way. It is called here hjerpe. Its flesh is delicate, 

 and is much esteemed by the Norwegians; so much 

 so, that it is a common trick of the peasants to cut off 

 the bills of woodcocks, and then sell them as hjerper. 



The hjerpe has the head gray, streaked with black 

 and red-brown ; throat black ; a white line runs down 

 each side of the face, and meets, in a circle round the 

 neck ; back gray, pencilled with black ; breast pen- 

 cilled with white ; tail grayish-brown, tipped with red- 



