472 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



and the larger ess of their markings, pointed, if books of reference are to 

 be trusted, to the Arctic rather than the Common Tern. — P. Ralfe 

 (Laxey, Isle of Man). 



On a Chocolate-coloured Variety of Perdix cinerea.— I have just 

 mounted a very curious variation of the Common Grey Partridge. The 

 major portion of the plumage, so far as it is moulted, is of a rich chocolate- 

 brown and black. The general appearance of the bird at first suggests 

 the possibility of its being a hybrid between a Red Grouse or Bantam 

 Cock and a Partridge, as suggested by the gentleman who shot it. But a 

 careful examination of the legs, bill, wings, and tail, show them to be those 

 of a Partridge, without any other admixture. The only variation is in 

 the colour of the plumage, and the bird is perhaps an extreme phase of the 

 varietal form known as the Mountain Partridge, and named Perdix 

 montana. I have met with a somewhat similar variety once before. Two 

 birds were shot from a covey on the Cotswold Hills, about twenty-five 

 years ago. The owner believes them to be a cross between a Red Grouse 

 and Partridge, and it is difficult to persuade him otherwise. They are 

 much paler in colour than the bird I now have, which is quite immature, 

 but has nearly assumed the second plumage; the head, neck, portion 

 of breast where the " horse-shoe " comes, edge of flanks, and sides 

 of rump, still retain the nestling feathers, but these are all of a much paler 

 type than in an ordinary Partridge. All the new feathers, as they are 

 appearing, are of a rich brown, and if the change had been completed the 

 bird would have been of a rich mahogany colour, deepening into a darker 

 mahogany on the back and scapulars, with whitish centres and tips to the 

 latter. The entire head and neck would have been of a light sandy buff, 

 like the throat and sides of face in the Common Partridge, as these feathers 

 were starting to come on the top of the head. As the bird is before me 

 now, the new feathers from the upper breast downwards are of a deep 

 mahogany-brown, shaded in their centres with darker. The back is a 

 darker mahogany-brown, with a yellowish streak down centre and a whitish 

 tip to some of the feathers ; the rump is relieved with a pale reddish 

 mahogany. The central upper tail coverts commence with a pale buff, 

 gradually becoming of a richer tint and marbled with dark brown, and very 

 broadly margined with dark chocolate brown ; some of the outer ones have 

 whitish tips, fringes and centres. The central rectrises are buff, margined, 

 speckled, and marbled with dark chocolate. Outer tail-feathers light 

 brown, shaded on ends and along inner necks with darker. Hinder tail- 

 coverts mahogany, tipped and fringed with whitish. Scapulars blackish 

 mahogany — they might be called black — with a tip, fringe, and central 

 streak of whitish; the longest scapulars are a pale brown, the ends boldly 

 marbled with yellowish white. The same applies to the outer secondaries. 

 Wing-coverts blackish mahogany, with lighter shadings, and fringed and 



