100 ON A VARIKTY OF PLUMAGE IX A BED GEOUSE. 



EXHIBITIONS AND NOTICES. 



December 13, 1910. 



G. A. BouLEXGER, Esq., F.K.S., Vice-President, 

 ill the Chair. 



The Secretary read the following report on the additions made 

 to the Society's Menugerie during the niontli of November, 

 1910:— 



The nninber of registered additions to the )Society's Menagerie 

 during the month of November last was 181. Of these 72 were 

 acquired by presentation, 31 by purchase, 33 were I'eceived on 

 deposit, 35 in exchange, and 10 were born in the Gardens. 



The number of departures during the same period, by deaths 

 and removals, was 209. 



Amongst the additions special attention may be dii'ected to : — 



1 American Bison [Bison americamos), born in the Menagerie 

 on Nov. 1st. 



5 Canadian 'Wi\:piii (Oerviis canadeiisls), 1 J , 4 $ , from Canada, 

 purchased on Nov. 8th. . »^ 



1 Tasmanian Wolf (Thylacinus ci/nocephalas), c? , and 2 Tas- 

 manian Devils {Sarcophil/cs sataiiicus). from 'J'asinania, purchased 

 on Nov. 21st. 



Dr. H. Hammoxd Smith, M.Ii.C.S., E.Z.S., exhibited a mounted 

 specimen of the Red Grouse {Lagopus scoticus) which displayed 

 a curious variety of the ordinary plumage, and made the following- 

 remarks : — 



" This Grouse was sent to me by Mr. Wynj-ard Dixon, of 

 Sheffield, from the Gilkerscleugh Moors, Abington, Lanarkshii'e, 

 on October 4th this year. The bird is a cock. Tlie colouring is 

 not common, and the specimen is not quite like the so-called 

 peppei'-aiid-salt variety, of which I saw a good example at 

 Mr. Boyals, where this bird was set up. In the bird now 

 exhibited, while the wings show grey colour, the feathers under 

 the chin are more like the colour of the feathers of a young cock 

 pheasant, a,nd there is just an appearance of a light ling round 

 one side of the neck ; there are also a few bronze-coloured 

 feathers on the flanks. Of this moor Mr. Dixon says in one of 

 his letters : ' I was much surprised the first time I came to this 

 district to find pheasants on the moors considerable distances 

 from coverts or farms — in fact, the pheasants do not appear to 

 come into the spinneys till November ' ; he further states that 

 he has seen them two miles from any covert. But all who have 

 shot on moors adjoining pheasant preserves are aware that 

 pheasants will stray for very long distances over the moors from 

 the coverts, especially if there a,re bilberries to be found. It has 

 been suggested that this bird may be a hybrid between the 

 pheasant and the grouse ; I can find ho pre\ious i-ecord of kSucIi 



