NATUHAI.1/VT1OX IN ENGLAND. 



Of late years there has been much talk of naturalizing 

 the Dal-llipa in Scotland, and if the experiment were 

 tried on an extended scale, I see no impossibility of its 

 proving successful. The Fjall-Ripa (supposed to be our 

 Ptarmigan) from the nature of its food and habits, cannot 

 exist elsewhere, I believe, than on mountains of very 

 considerable altitude. Not so, however, with the Dal- 

 Eipa, which breeds, as recently shown, in the very south 

 of Norway, in about the same latitude as Scotland, and 

 on islands off the Norwegian coast that nowhere rise 

 to a greater height than 400 feet as also in one instance 

 on a low island of the Wenern, which lake is only 110 

 feet above the level of the sea. Hence it is pretty clear 

 that so far as Scotland is concerned, neither the latitude 

 nor the elevation of the hills presents any serious obstacle 

 to the success of the experiment. 



Hitherto this has not been tried, owing, I understand, 

 to the difficulty of procuring the birds. Not long ago, 

 indeed, M. Butenschiin wrote me that "all attempts in 

 Norway to collect and keep the Dal-Eipa have failed, 

 although considerable care and expense have been devoted 

 to the subject." There may be truth in what my friend 

 says as to these birds not thriving in confinement, though 

 to me it seems very problematical if those in question 

 were sufficiently supplied with their natural and proper 

 food, &c. ; but on this point I can say nothing, never 

 having had a living Dal-Ripa in my possession. The 

 difficulty, however, of obtaining them, spoken of by 

 M. Butenschon, I look upon as mere moonshine, being 

 fully convinced that with good management the required 

 number of poults would be procurable. 



The Dal-Ripa occasionally breeds with the Black- 

 Cock. The produce, which are called Jfi/i-Orre, are of 

 course only found in localities inhabited by both of those 

 birds. I have never ^cen other than stulled specimens 



