206 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



The length of the bird was 24 inches. The upper parts 

 are of a rich dark brown ; the small scale-like feathers in 

 front of eye being of a greyish brown ; the secondaries are 

 edged with light brown, almost white ; feathers of neck with 

 a dark line down the centre of each, which gradually spreads 

 into large spots or blotches over the lower parts of the body. 

 Tail of twelve feathers, brown, crossed by numerous irregu- 

 lar bars of a lighter colour, and tipped with buff. 



Under parts, brown ; feathers edged with light brown. 

 Bill black, with cere yellow. Legs and feet yellow, and 

 claws black. 



The stomach contained a hairy mass, apparently the re- 

 mains of caterpillars and insects. 



Two specimens of this bird were previously exhibited by 

 me to the Society, which were shot in the month of June. 



The bird is generally considered as one of our rare occa- 

 sional summer visitors. 



3. Tetrao hybrid as or Tetrao medius, Hybrid Grouse. 



This bird, a hybrid between the Tetrao urogallus the 

 capercailzie, and the Tetrao tetrix or blackcock, is a male, 

 which sex is described as occurring more frequently than the 

 female. It was shot in the beginning of October at Tulliallan, 

 the seat of Count Flahault, near Kincardine, on the Forth. 

 It is nearly intermediate in size, and also in colour, between 

 the capercailzie and the blackcock, measuring 26 inches in 

 length, and weighed 5J lbs. It is probably the progeny of 

 a male blackcock and a strayed capercailzie hen, Its general 

 colour is darker than the capercailzie, its bill black, and its 

 breast shows a brilliant band of reddish purple, violet, or 

 Orleans plum-coloured reflections, a combination I suppose, 

 of the steel-blue of the blackcock and the green of the caper- 

 cailzie. The tail has the three outside feathers prolonged 

 on each side, gradually increasing in length to the outer, 

 which is the longest, exactly the reverse of the tail of the 

 capercailzie, and resembling in this respect the blackcock. 



In December 1858, I had the pleasure of exhibiting to 

 the Society the first of these hybrids which I had seen in 

 Scotland. (Proc, vol. ii. p. 44.) It was shot in Perthshire. 



