588 FURTHER NOTES ON 
of which I will only extract a few of the more important 
passages :— : 
“ Specific characters.—Chin-feathers somewhat elongated ; 
tail slightly forked ; height of the tarsus at least two inches. 
“ Distinctive description.—The Middle W ood-Grouse (‘ Mitt- 
lere Waldhuhn ’) occupies an intermediate position between 
the Capercaillie and the Black Grouse, both in form and size, 
inclining, however, to the latter rather than to the former. 
Hitherto only the male of this bird, which is so extremely 
rare in Germany, has been known; so that I have the greatest 
pleasure in being able to give an accurate description of the 
female. This bird has long been considered to be a hybrid 
between the Blackcock and the hen Capercaillie, and at the 
present day there is no lack of able naturalists who hold this 
opinion, and support it, as we shall presently see, with 
apparently weighty arguments. It has therefore a twofold 
interest, both for the naturalist and the sportsman, and I 
will take pains to treat of it accordingly. 
“Old male.—Much resembles the Blackcock in form, but 
is larger, and has the tail only slightly forked. The beak and 
nails are black; the iris brown; the head, neck, breast, back, 
and tail brilliant black, with a beautiful purple sheen; the 
belly dull black, with large white spots on the flanks and 
' vent; the wings are blackish, sprinkled with brown and dark 
grey, and have two white bands; the back, too, and the tail 
are powdered with ash-grey. The tail is deep black, and 
above the eye is a red patch, almost similar to that of the 
Blackcock. Length 2 feet 5-6 inches.” 
Next come descriptions of the male after the first moult, 
and of the female, then “detailed descriptions,’ from the 
latter of which I will merely quote the following paragraphs:— 
“Tn the old male all the colours are finer, the red over the 
eye more extended, the gloss on the head, neck, and breast 
more sheeny, the white spots on the underparts fewer, the 
