Vol. xxix.] 66 



and other parts of Natal for the last thirty years or so, and 

 possessed a wonderful knowledge of local birds and their 

 habits. 



It might therefore be concluded that this specimen was a 

 '^ variation," or a '^ mutation " as it was now often called ; 

 possibly the character of the yellow pectoral tufts was a 

 latent one in the species, as it was developed in the allied 

 form from the West Coast. In any case it would be most 

 undesirable to saddle it with a new name until some 

 definite evidence was forthcoming that it was an established 

 race. 



In the previous number of the ' Bulletin,' p. 42, Mr. Ogilvie- 

 Grant had pointed out, as a new fact, that the female 

 Ptarmigan when assuming her nesting-plumage cast the 

 middle pair of tail-feathers and replaced them by black 

 feathers barred and mottled with rufous, like the rest of the 

 breeding-plumage. Mr. Witherby had recently called his 

 attention to the fact that this remarkable peculiarity had 

 already been noticed and commented on by William Macgilli- 

 vray [^ A History of British Birds/ i. p. 194 (1837)], but 

 appeared to have been entirely lost sight of by all subsequent 

 writers. Mr. Ogilvie-Grant was pleased to find that his 

 own observations on the plumage of the Ptarmigan agreed 

 entirely with those of Macgillivray, and he regretted that 

 he should unwittingly have overlooked the work of that 

 famous ornithologist. He was glad, however, that such 

 an interesting fact should have been once more brought 

 to light. 



