230 MR J. p. selby's notice of a curious hybrid. 



it was composed of nearly the same materials as that of the common 

 sparrow, but proportionably smaller, as were also the eggs and the 

 spots upon them. The eggs were four in number. During the period 

 of hatching, the male kept constantly attending upon the female, 

 chirping, hopping about, and making a variety of motions nearly the 

 whole of the day. 



The tree sparrows commonly associate with the common sparrow, 

 and may be easily detected from that bird by their mode of flying, 

 their flight being invariably lower than that of the other, and accom- 

 panied by a shrill note. It also differs from the house sparrow in 

 preferring always the thicket to the open branch or top of the bush 

 on being approached. 



Newton by the Sea, July 26, 18-10. 



Notice of a curious Hyhrid^ killed at Chevington Wood, Northumberland. 

 By J. P. Selby, Esq. of Twizell-house. 



Hybrids, in a wild or natural state, are so rarely met with, that 

 every well authenticated instance of such an anomaly ought to be 

 recorded, not only as a mere curiosity or lusus-naturee, but as tending 

 to elucidate the laws of reproduction, and shewing to what extent, 

 under certain circumstances, prolific intorcoarse is permitted between 

 beings belonging to different species, genera, or groups of even greater 

 extent. It is only under adventitious and peculiar circumstances that 

 we can expect to find such anomalies in a natural state, as when a male 

 or female of any species is left alone, and unable to find a mate. In 

 such a case, the individual is inclined or driven to court the society of 

 some nearly allied species that may chance to haunt the same neigh- 

 bourhood, and intercourse, in consequence, sometimes takes place. 

 Such, we conceive, to be the case in those well authenticated instances 

 where the grey-lacked crow (Corvus comix), has been known to pair 

 and breed with the common carrion crow (Corvus corone). In a con- 

 fined or domesticated state, hybridism is more easily effected as the 

 subjects of experiment can be kept together, and separated from all 

 intercourse with other individuals of their respective species, and thus, 

 as it were, compelling an intercourse. In such experiments, however, 

 it has always been deemed necessary, in order to insure success, that 

 the intended parents should be nearly allied, both generically and 

 specifically, as in the case of the wolf and dog, horse and ass or zebra, 

 among quadi-upeds ; the pheasant and domestic fowl, the Muscovy and 

 common duck, the canary and other nearly allied finches, among birds. 

 In the present instance, however, which is that of a hybrid between 

 the black-cock (Tetrao iQixis.,Auct.) and pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), 



