266 BRITISH BIRDS. 



certain species ; but in the case of Black Grouse (Tetrao 

 tetrix) this phase of plumage is sufficiently uncommon to be 

 worthy of note. On November 15th, 1909, the Hon. Douglas 

 Cairns sent me a beautiful specimen of the dark variety in 

 which the whole of the plumage is a complete intermixture of 

 Greyhen and Blackcock feathers. The breast and flanks are 

 almost black, but the lower parts are edged with white, 

 whilst the scapulars, head, nape and neck are somewhat like 

 the Greyhen, only much darker and shot with purple. There 

 is a good deal of white on the cheeks and throat, as is 

 invariable in these " hen-cocks," whilst the rump is like the 

 Blackcock, the feathers being edged with a broad band of 

 metallic blue. Nearly all of the British varieties of this 

 dark phase which I have examined have possessed elongated 

 outer tail-feathers, which have been, with two exceptions, 

 uncurled ; whereas in the specimen sent by Mr. Cairns the 

 tail was beautifully lyrate, andsimilarto that of an adult Black- 

 cock. On dissection I found the ovary small, black, and 

 atrophied, and there were no marks of old shot wounds. 

 This bird was shot on November 15th at one of the drives of 

 the Duke of Buccleuch's moors at Langholm, in Dumfries- 

 shire. Curiously enough a few days later Mr. Cairns, walking 

 upon tho same moor, picked up the decomposed body of 

 another Greyhen, and his observant eye at once noticed that 

 the tail was most unusual. This he also sent to me, and it 

 it proved to be a female in normal plumage, but with a 

 complete lyrate tail, marked to the curled ends with the 

 irregular bars of black on rich brown. 



J. G. Millais. 



SPOTTED CRAKE IN NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 



A Spotted Crake (Porzana maruetta) was caught alive near 

 Wellingborough on October 10th, 1909, and was kept for some 

 time until killed by a cat. I saw the bird at the taxidermist's 

 and he tells me that another was killed at the same place two 

 years ago. 



W. C. Cattell. 



BLACK-WINGED PRATINCOLE IN YORKSHIRE. 



In September, 1909, Mr. J. M. Charlton informed me that a 

 Pratincole had been shot on August 17th, 1909, by Mr. W. S. 

 Charlton, near Danby Wiske, near Northallerton, in the North 

 Riding of Yorkshire. The bird was feeding among a flock of 

 Lapwings. Mr. Charlton kindly had the bird examined at my 

 request, and informed me that the under-wing was black. 



