466 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Description of a Hybrid Pheasant. — A curiously-marked Pheasant 

 which I secured in the Market Hall, at Birmingham, in October, 1889, 

 presents at first sight the appearance of the isabelline variety at one time 

 known as the Bohemian Pheasant, but an examination of the curious 

 markings on all the feathers gives to the bird a most distinct appearance. 

 Whatever the supposed hybrid Partridge I described last month (page 384) 

 may prove to be [an immature Ked-leg — Ed.], it appears to me that there 

 is an admixture of blood of some kind in the Pheasant under notice. I 

 will endeavour to describe the markings on all the feathers as clearly as 

 possible. Commencing with the head, I may at once state that the bird 

 had not completed its moult, and the greater portion of the head and neck 

 are undeveloped pin-feathers, but those on the top of the head and back of 

 the neck appear to be a faded French grey for the greater portion of 

 their length, followed by a narrow line of brownish, a broader band of buff, 

 and terminated with an edging of dark brown ; lower down the neck, 

 approaching the interscapulars, the feathers have a brownish buff centre, 

 surrounded with a band of grey, edged with dark, and terminated with 

 pale washed brown; interscapulars French grey, broadly tipped with 

 brownish buff, a narrow wave of dark brown, and fringed with washy drab ; 

 rib dark brown, which shows very distinctly running through the French 

 grey : scapulars, centre French grey, followed by clouded brownish buff, 

 and bordered round with pale fawn, rib dark brown ; rump wedge- 

 shaped, centre of grey, terminating with wavy fawn-brown and a darker 

 tint; tail-coverts somewhat similar, but clouded with grey, buff, and a 

 darker tint ; tail huffish drab, with a warm tinge of brown, barred 

 and clouded with a darker tint. Going back now to the wings, the 

 primaries and secondaries are a very pale greyish buff, clouded with 

 darker ; tertiaries delicately marbled with grey, buff, and brown ; lesser 

 wing-coverts greyish brown, margined with pale buff; middle wing-coverts 

 pale buff, with two bars of greyish margined with darker ; greater wing- 

 coverts pale buff, with five bars of pale grey, and marblings of brown 

 and buff. Breast warm brownish buff, grey centre, shadowed with brown, 

 and terminating with brown pepperings ; flanks buff, with wavy bars of 

 greyish, and darker shadowings ; abdomen buff. Irides stone-drab. Bill 

 and legs horn-brown. I was unable to positively determine the sex, as the 

 shot appeared to have lodged in that part of the bird, and destroyed all 

 traces ; but I believe it to be a female. The body was slender and purely 

 Pheasant-like, without any of the thicker build of domestic poultry, with 

 which the bird, I thought, might possibly have been crossed. — F. Coburn 

 (7, Holloway Head, Birmingham). 



Abnormal nesting of the Sand Martin and Swift. — During the 

 excursion of the Dublin Naturalists' Field Club to Poulaphuca Waterfall, 

 on May 24th, Mr. E. Williams and I found a large colony of Sand Martins 



