THE ZOOLOGIST. 



THIRD SERIES. 



Vol. XVI.] FEBRUARY, 1892. [No. 3 82. 



ON THE OCCURRENCE OF HYBRIDS BETWEEN THE 

 RED GROUSE AND PTARMIGAN. 



By Walter Chamberlain, F.Z.S. 



Has the Red Grouse, Lagopus scoticus, been known to inter- 

 breed with the Ptarmigan, L. mutus ? This question is of some 

 interest to grouse-shooters as well as to ornithologists, because 

 it is not unfrequently asked on moors where the ranges of the 

 two species overlap. 



Probably not a few sportsmen and gamekeepers would 

 promptly answer it in the affirmative, either as they thought of 

 their own knowledge, or on the authority of others who believe 

 they have seen or killed and handled such a hybrid. On the 

 other hand, I do not think that any experienced ornithologist 

 would be prepared to give such a statement an unqualified 

 endorsement. 



My attention was first directed to the subject in 1888. In 

 August of that year, when shooting at Black Corries, as the 

 guest of Mr. John Gilmour, I chanced to kill a very light-coloured 

 young Grouse. This bird rose with two other young ones of the 

 ordinary colour and the old hen; and as it flew we all thought 

 for the moment it was either a Ptarmigan or a hybrid. On 

 picking it up, however, notwithstanding its peculiar colouring, 

 we readily agreed that it was only a variety of the Grouse. On 

 dissection it proved, as I was subsequently informed by the 

 taxidermist, to be a female with the ovaries apparently in a 

 healthy condition. 



ZOOLOGIST. FEB. 18 ( J2. E 



