24 R. COLLETT. [No. 11. 



One specimen, Tromsø, 1896. The existence of a bastard 

 between the two species of ptarmigan had not hitherto been 

 proved with certainty in Norway 1 . 



In the autumn of 1896, the Christiania Museum received 

 a specimen caught in the Tromsø valley east of Tromsø 

 on the 16 th August, of which the plumage was an inter- 

 mingling of the normal autumn plumage of L. mutus and 

 L. lagopus, in such a manner that the bird cannot be referred 

 to either of these species singly. The specimen seems to have 

 been a male. 



The plumage shows it to be an older bird (the margins of 

 the flank-feathers are broad behind) in the somewhat faded and 

 worn summer plumage (just turning into the autumn garb in 

 the middle of August) and in which a few new autumn feathers 

 have made their appearance. None of the permanent white 

 winter feathers have yet appeared, but the 4 th and 5 th wing- 

 feathers are changing. 



Description. (Male [?] in summer-autumn plumage). The 

 bill is rather smaller than that of a typical female L. lagopus, 

 but somewhat thick and curved, and, in conjunction with the 

 unspotted throat, seem to indicate that the specimen is a male. 



The length of the wing from the carpal joint is 190 mm , that 

 of the tail 107 mm , (as in some small females of L. lagopus). 

 The toes are very thinly feathered, almost naked; the claws are 

 short, but comparatively broad and dark-coloured summer claws. 



Neck and throat of a reddish colour, not spotted, very much 

 like that of a male L. lagopus in worn summer plumage; but 

 the throat is a very pale red, almost whitish (L. mutus). The 



1 Among some nonnally coloured specimens, shot in the middle of Sep- 

 tember, 1883, near Røros, I found one that I at that time took to be a 

 hybrid between L. lagopus and L. mutus; and as a snpposed hybrid 

 1 have mentioned and briefly described it in the Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 

 1886, p. 236. 



This specimen has subsequently proved to be a male of L. lago- 

 pus in the peculiar plumage sometimes worn by certain (sterile?) birds 

 in the transition from summer to autumn. 



