﻿Letters, 
  Extracts, 
  Notices, 
  ^c. 
  475 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  endeavouring 
  to 
  decide 
  the 
  question 
  about 
  these 
  two 
  

   forms^ 
  I 
  have 
  examined 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  material 
  of 
  

   P. 
  borealis 
  which 
  is 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  preserved 
  in 
  the 
  dif- 
  

   ferent 
  museums 
  o£ 
  the 
  country. 
  The 
  University 
  Museum* 
  

   possesses 
  in 
  all 
  39 
  examples, 
  of 
  which 
  26 
  are 
  from 
  the 
  most 
  

   southerly 
  parts 
  of 
  Norway 
  (the 
  districts 
  about 
  Christiania, 
  

   Drammen, 
  Hamar, 
  and 
  Dovre), 
  3 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  

   the 
  country 
  (Sondfjord, 
  in 
  Bergen 
  diocese), 
  2 
  from 
  Fin- 
  

   marken 
  (Alten, 
  Varanger), 
  besides 
  8 
  from 
  Mid-Sweden 
  

   (Upsala). 
  

  

  "Among 
  all 
  these 
  examples, 
  which 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  most 
  

   easterly, 
  the 
  most 
  northerly, 
  the 
  most 
  westerly, 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  

   southerly 
  portions 
  of 
  Scandinavia, 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  

   detect 
  the 
  slightest 
  constant 
  difference. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  greyish- 
  white 
  margins 
  of 
  the 
  secondaries 
  may, 
  it 
  is 
  

   true, 
  vary 
  somewhat 
  in 
  breadth 
  and 
  in 
  purity 
  of 
  colour, 
  just 
  

   as 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  belly 
  may 
  be 
  in 
  some 
  individuals 
  more 
  

   reddish 
  grey, 
  in 
  others 
  (at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  of 
  year 
  and 
  loca- 
  

   lity) 
  of 
  a 
  purer 
  white. 
  Examples 
  obtained 
  in 
  summer 
  have, 
  

   as 
  a 
  rule, 
  whiter 
  abdomens, 
  but 
  somewhat 
  narrower 
  (more 
  

   worn) 
  edges 
  to 
  the 
  webs 
  of 
  the 
  secondaries, 
  than 
  winter-killed 
  

   specimens. 
  In 
  the 
  young 
  in 
  nestling-plumage 
  (Bosekop 
  in 
  

   Alten, 
  July 
  22, 
  1880; 
  Hamar, 
  July 
  4, 
  1889; 
  Gausdal, 
  

   July 
  24, 
  1889; 
  Jonsset, 
  July 
  17, 
  1890) 
  these 
  edges 
  are 
  

   brownish 
  grey, 
  and 
  not 
  whitish 
  grey, 
  and 
  these 
  examples 
  come 
  

   perhaps 
  nearest 
  the 
  two 
  examples 
  of 
  his 
  P. 
  coUetti 
  described 
  

   by 
  Dr. 
  Stejnegerf. 
  But 
  any 
  constant 
  difference 
  between 
  

   the 
  individuals 
  from 
  these 
  widely 
  separated 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   country 
  does 
  not 
  exist. 
  

  

  " 
  P. 
  coUetti 
  must 
  therefore, 
  according 
  to 
  my 
  judgment, 
  be 
  

   considered 
  as 
  founded 
  on 
  individual 
  variations 
  of 
  P. 
  borealis, 
  

   which 
  may 
  make 
  their 
  appearance 
  anywhere 
  amongst 
  the 
  

   normal 
  individuals." 
  

  

  Bailly's 
  ' 
  Ornithologie 
  de 
  la 
  Savoie.' 
  — 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  remem- 
  

  

  * 
  Christiania. 
  

  

  t 
  Which, 
  however, 
  are 
  expressly 
  stated 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  old 
  individuals, 
  

   not 
  young 
  ones. 
  

  

  