234 MR. R. COLLETT ON HYBRID GROUSE. [Apr. 20, 



Lagopotetrix lagopoides. Malm, (Efv. Kgl. Vet.-Akad. Forh. 1880, 

 p. 30. 



In opposition to this assumption respecting its paternity, in 1872, 

 in a treatise " Remarks on the Ornithology of Northern Norway" 

 (Forhandl.Vidensk. Selskabet i Christiania, 1872, p. 238), I advanced 

 the opinion that the Rype-Orre was an offspring of the male 

 Lagopus albus and female Tetrao tetrix, a theory which, singularly 

 enough (although without any proof), was started by Sommerfelt so 

 early as 1823 in his descriptions of the specimen in summer plumage ' 

 {cf. above). In support of this theory 1 certainly could not produce 

 direct observations or positive proofs, but I stated some circum- 

 stances which, according to my views, caused the descent from the 

 male Lagopus albus to be more probable than from that of the 

 Blackcock. In conclusion, I expressed the hope that intelligent 

 sportsmen or naturalists might soon be fortunate enough to insti- 

 tute observations by which this question might be clearly solved. 

 Although this was written fourteen years ago, nothing has as yet 

 appeared in northern literature to throw a light on the subject. 



I shall not here set forth at length the reasons which caused me 

 to advance this hypothesis ; they will be found given in Dresser's 

 ' History of the Birds of Europe,' vol. vii. p. 213. They are chiefly 

 derived from a comparison with the second and better-known 

 hybrid, the " Ilakkelfugl," concerning which it is an undoubted fact 

 that it is descended from the male Tetrao tetrix and the female 

 Tetrao urogaUus. In this case, too, thefather belongs to the smaller, 

 the mother to the larger species ; and the offspring is a hybrid in 

 which the male is of about the same size as its mother. 



It is also a well-known fact that the male Willow Grouse is often 

 found in the breeding-haunts of the Tetrao tetrix, and undoubtedly 

 frequents them more often than is generally known. Every sports- 

 man is aware that amongst the Willow-Grouse (and the Ptarmigan) 

 an excess of males is to be met with, which throughout the summer 

 ramble about on the mountains, and these are probably willing to 

 form connections whenever an opportunity offers. My friend Prof. 

 Friis has witnessed a remarkable proof of the eagerness of the male 

 Willow-Grouse's desire to mate. In the spring of 18.57 he observed 

 at one of the most elevated farms in Nordmore (Bergen stift) a male 

 Willow-Grouse which for several succeeding days kept near the 

 house and endeavoured to form a connection with a white speckled 

 domestic hen. 



Finally it is worth recording that two young male Rype-Orre, 

 shot in October 1845, in Hedemora, Sweden, were accompanied by 

 a female bird, apparently their mother, which was supposed to be a 

 Greyhen ^. This observation would have been of great weight in 



' "Af denne Slffigts ( Tf^roo) hybride Yugel forekom iiiig paa Toten i Juli 

 Maaneds Begyndelse fcilgeude, som sygiies at va;i'e en Aftoduing of Aarhonen 

 og Hype-Haunen " [Fi-om tlie hybrid brood of this genus 1 obtained the following 

 iu the beginning of July, whioh appears to be an offspring of the Greyhen and 

 tlie male Willow-Grouse] (Nyt Mag. f. Naturv. 1st ser. vol. ii. Christiania, 1823, 

 p. 71). 



-' (Efv. Kgl. Vet.-Akad. Forh. 1847, p. 201. 



