42 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



At the time I was not able to say whether a hybrid of the 

 Red Grouse and Ptarmigan had been known to occur, but con- 

 sidering the close relationship of the two species and that their 

 ranges overlap one another in many parts of Scotland, as well as 

 the thoroughly ascertained fact that other game-birds by no 

 means so nearly akin do occasionally interbreed, the occurrence 

 of such a hybrid seemed by no means unlikely. 



On my return home, however, after consulting a large number 

 of ornithological writers, including all our principal authorities, 

 I was rather surprised to find that not a single instance of this 

 particular hybrid was on record, though accounts of other hybrids 

 were given in some numbers.* Of course such evidence is purely 

 negative, and only shows that our authors had not met with a case 

 which they considered sufficiently authenticated ; at the same time it 

 certainly seems to indicate that the hybrid, if it occurs at all, must 

 be excessively rare, and that therefore the not unfrequent reports 

 of its occurrence current amongst gamekeepers, or recorded in 

 1 The Field,' must be received with the greatest caution. 



Under these circumstances, although I may not be able to 

 give a definite answer to the question with which I have com- 

 menced this paper, I think it may be of some interest to consider, 

 firstly, some typical cases of such alleged hybrids from the 

 columns of ' The Field' and elsewhere ; and, secondly, to arrange 

 the arguments, as they occur to me, for and against the proba- 

 bilities of its occurrence. Some of these reputed occurrences 

 rest only on the fact that one or more very white-looking birds 

 have been seen amongst the red ones. Such cases are not worth 

 discussing, for unless the exact position of the white and the 

 colours of the darker feathers can be ascertained, the probabilities 

 would be all in favour of albinism, which in a more or less 

 complete form is not uncommon amongst Grouse and other 

 animals. Besides, the eye is very apt to be deceived both as to 

 the quantity and distribution of the white on a flying bird ; for 

 instance, whilst the light-coloured specimen which I shot at Black 

 Corries was on the wing, we all of us thought it to be a nearly 

 pure white bird, and were accordingly surprised to find when we 



* Mr. Seebohm, in his ' British Birds,' speaking of the Red Grouse, 

 says, " It has been known to interbreed with black game, and possibly with 

 Ptarmigan"; hut be does not adduce anj Instance. 



