588 FURTHER NOTES ON 



of which I will only extract a few of the more important 

 passages : 



" Specific characters. Chin-feathers somewhat^ elongated ; 

 tail slightly forked ; height of the tarsus at least two inches. 



" Distinctive description. The Middle Wood-Grouse (* Mitt- 

 lere Waldhuhn ') occupies an intermediate position between 

 the Capercaillie and the Black Grouse, both in form and size, 

 inclining, however, to the latter rather than to the former. 

 Hitherto only the male of this bird, which is so extremely 

 rare in Germany, has been known ; so that I have the greatest 

 pleasure in being able to give an accurate description of the 

 female. This bird has long been considered to be a hybrid 

 between the Blackcock and the hen Capercaillie, and at the 

 present day there is no lack of able naturalists who hold this 

 opinion, and support it, as we shall presently see, with 

 apparently weighty arguments. It has therefore a twofold 

 interest, both for the naturalist and the sportsman, and I 

 will take pains to treat of it accordingly. 



"Old male. Much resembles the Blackcock in form, but 

 is larger, and has the tail only slightly forked. The beak and 

 nails are black; the iris brown ; the head, neck, breast, back, 

 and tail brilliant black, with a beautiful purple sheen ; the 

 belly dull black, with large white spots on the flanks and 

 vent ; the wings are blackish, sprinkled with brown and dark 

 grey, and have two white bands; the back, too, and the tail 

 are powdered with ash-grey. The tail is deep black, and 

 above the eye is a red patch, almost similar to that of the 

 Blackcock. Length 2 feet 5-6 inches." 



Next come descriptions of the male after the first moult, 

 and of the female, then " detailed descriptions," from the 

 latter of which I will merely quote the following paragraphs: 



" In the old male all the colours are finer, the red over the 

 eye more extended, the gloss on the head, neck, and breast 

 more sheeny, the white spots on the underparts fewer, the 



