FREAKS AND ODDITIES 57 



lower parts of the back and upper tail coverts more 

 green than black ; under parts brown, dashed with 

 buiy-white in places ; tail feathers black, slightly 

 marked on some of the webs longitudinally with 

 dull white, or slightly freckled.'' The hybrid 

 which Mr. Stevenson examined, between a pheasant 

 and bantam, was entirely black, with dark green 

 reflections ; the tail was shaped like that of a phea- 

 sant, but the legs and feet resembled those of a 

 common fowl. 



Three very different birds, a cock and two hens, 

 were shown at the last ornithological exhibition at 

 Stargard, in Pomerania. The hen which had pro- 

 duced them had been kept in the neighbourhood of 

 the forest, and had mated with a wild pheasant. The 

 mules resulting from this cross were white, with yellow 

 reflections upon their feathers. 



At a sale of duplicate specimens from the collection 

 of Mr. J. Whitaker, a number of interesting hybrids 

 were exhibited, and among others several hybrids 

 between the blackcock and pheasant. Mules of this 

 kind have been known in England ever since Gilbert 

 White wrote his 'History of Selborne.' The first 

 mentioned was shot at Holt, in Sussex, but others 

 have been obtained in various parts of England, as 

 well as in Scotland and Ireland. 



' Birds of Norfolk, vol. i. p.1368. 



