44 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



TV. Notices of some of our Rarer Birds. By John Alexr. Smith, M.D. 



(1.) Notice of the Tetrao medius, T. hybridus, or Urog alius hybridus 

 of Authors. This beautiful bird was formerly believed by some Natu- 

 ralists to be a distinct species, and by others merely a hybrid between 

 the Capercailzie and Black Cock. The specimen now exhibited was 

 killed about the 23d of November, by Major J. W. Wedderburn, 

 near Loyal House, Alyth, Perthshire. The bird is a male ; it is 

 intermediate in size between the capercailzie (T. urogallus), and the 

 black grouse (T. tetrisc), measuring 28 J inches in length, and weighed 

 5 lbs. 10 oz. The general appearance of the plumage is darker than 

 the capercailzie ; the bill is black like the black grouse ; the head 

 and neck, which shows the bearded throat of the capercailzie, is of 

 dark colour, with reddish purple reflections, especially brilliant on the 

 breast ; there are a few white feathers on the lower part of the breast and 

 abdomen, as in the capercailzie ; and the tail has the lateral feathers the 

 longest, as in the black cock, — the external ones being slightly curved 

 outwards. The stomach was filled with buds of heather, and not of the 

 pine, which is the favourite food of the capercailzie. Birds of this kind 

 have been very rarely observed in Scotland of late years ; they are said, 

 however, to have been occasionally noticed in ancient times. Lloyd men- 

 tions that they occur in Norway, but are not common ; and they are some- 

 times sent, Yarrell informs us, with the capercailzie to the London 

 markets. 



(2.) Dr Smith exhibited a specimen of the Lanius excubitor, Penn., 

 the Great Grey Shrike, which was killed a few days ago by Dr C. Nelson 

 at Pitcox, near Dunbar. The bird is a young male, and may be con- 

 sidered as only an occasional winter visitor to Scotland. 



(3.) Two specimens of the Pintail Duck, Dafila caudacuta, Gould, 

 were exhibited by Dr Smith, the one a male, in adult plumage, sent by 

 Mr Edward Hargitt. It was shot on the Fife coast, near Kirkcaldy, a 

 few days ago. And the other, a young male, was killed near Preston- 

 pans in the beginning of this month. The bird is of rare occurrence in 

 the south of Scotland. 



(4.) Dr Smith had also examined a fine specimen of the Buteo 

 lagopus, Flem., the Rough-Legged Buzzard, which was shot a few days 

 ago by a keeper of Sir Graham Montgomery, at Stobo, in Peeblesshire. 

 Another individual was seen flying about in the same neighbourhood. 

 It is a rare winter visitant to Britain and Ireland. 



V. Notice of a Pike, Esox lucius, Linn., in whose stomach a Water Hen 

 and Water Ouzel were found. By Mr Archibald Stirling. 

 The stomach of a large pike was exhibited, which contained a water 



