1886.] MR. R. COLLETT ON HYBRID GROUSE. 239 



cry, "which resembled that of the Capercailzie." (Levin, CEfv. Kgl. 

 Vet.-Akad. Forh. Stockholm, 1847, p. 201.) 



Most of the specimens which have come into my hands in a fresh 

 state had no gun-shot wounds, and probably had b?en snared ; but 

 whether these were taken in snares together with Rype in districts 

 frequented by the latter, namely in the regio alpina (the upper 

 limits of the birch-region on the mountains), or with Tetrao urogallus 

 and T. tetrix in the forest-regions, cannot be stated with any certainty. 

 If remains of their food are examined it will probably be found that 

 they more usually share the quarters of the Willow- Grouse than 

 those of the other species. 



One of the specimens sent to the University Museum (from Saude 

 Sogn, Nov. 9, 1881) was shot not far from the Christiania Fjord, in 

 a district where the Lagopns albiis certainly breeds, but in very few 

 numbers, and this is hardly an annual occurrence, the locality being 

 comparatively low. The sender of this bird, who regularly received 

 game from that place, deemed it certain that it had been captured 

 along with Blackgame, as it was forwarded to him in a bunch of 

 these birds, and he never received Willow-Grouse from there. 



Food. 



In some of the individuals opened by me the food was still 

 partially or wholly entire, and consisted of the following : — 



1. Male, Dec. 7, 1870 : a number of fragments of a Salix (15 

 millim. in length), fragments and numerous berries of Myrtillus 

 nigra, tops of Calluna vulgaris (about 30 milhm. in length), and a 

 few leaves of Arctostaphylos alpina. 



2. Male, Dec. 6, 1872 : tops and seeds of Carex stellulata, a few 

 berries of Oxycoccus palustris and Juniperus communis, some of the 

 latter in an unripe state. 



3. Male, Feb. 28, 1873: \e8i\es of Faccinium vitis idcea, fragments 

 and buds of a Salix and of Myrtillus nigra. 



4. Female, Jan. 1875 : a number of ripe and unripe berries of 

 Juniperus, also a number of the peculiar bunchy leaves of that 

 bush, in which Cecidomyia juniperina had formed their capsules; a 

 large number of stalks of the Myrtillus nigra (about 12 miUim. in 

 length), some leaves of Vacciniuni vitis idtea, some old female and 

 many young male catkins of Betula glutinosa (the mountain form, 

 alpigena), and, lastly, the twigs of a haired Salix (S. glaucal). 



5. Female, Oct. 7, 18/6 : some berries oi Empetrum nigrum, also 

 stalks of Myrtillus nigra. 



6. Male, Dec. 27, 1879 : leaves and berries of Oxycoccus 

 palustris. 



7. Young male, autumn, 1880 : berries of Oxycoccus palustris, 

 also the top of a Carex. 



From these examples it vpill be seen that this hybrid both in 

 winter and summer derives nourishment from about the same 

 sources as the Willow-Grouse, namely stalks of willows and bilberries, 



