R. COLLETT. [No. 11. 



5. Lagopus mutus, (Mont.) X Lyrurus tetrix, (Lin.) 

 (mas?) (fem.?) 



Occurrence. One specimen, a male, caught in Rånen in 

 March, 1896. {„Fjeldrype-Orre u ). 



Diagn. The tail (in the male) somewhat forked; the toes half 

 feathered, last toe-joint naked. Size of the male equal to that of a 

 large L. lagopus. 



Male, winter pluraage. Markings as in the Bype-Orre, hut with 

 darker head and neck. 



Back greyish brown, the feathers with black, sometimes reddish 

 brown, cross bars, and white or greyish white mottled margin. Head, 

 neck and breast almost black, some of the feathers edged with white. 



The upper surface of the wings brownish black, and mottled with 

 white; tail-feathers black with narrow white border, the upper tail-coverts 

 black with white-mottled tips, the under white. 



One specimen, Rånen, 1896. In 1896, the Bergen Museum 

 received from Rånen (Helgeland), a specimen of a hybrid caught 

 at the end of March in the previous year, which differed in 

 several respects from the form so well known in Norway, the 

 Rype-Orre, (or hybrid between Lagopus lagopus anåLyrurus 

 tetrix). Through the kindness of the curator, Dr. Grieg, I have 

 had an opportunity of examining this specimen, and found that 

 in all probability it was the result of a crossing between Lagopus 

 mutus and Lyrurus tetrix. 



The new hybrid, which might be called „Fjeldrype-Orre", 

 was a male. According to Dr. Grieg, the testes were small, but 

 not quite rudimentary. 



Gompared with the normal Rype-Orre, this new hybrid dif- 

 fers in its smaller size and in the dark colour of the neck and 

 head. In size it is very similar to a very large male L. Lago- 

 pus; in its markings it corresponds in the main with the Rype- 

 Orre, except that the sides of the head and the throat, (which 

 are for the most part white in the male Rype-Orre), are here 

 almost black. The claws, moreover, are darker than in the 

 other hybrid. 



