Ornithological Notes. 



207 



Mr Yarrell mentions their well-known occurrence in Norway 

 and Sweden, and states, " there was every reason to believe 

 they had formerly occurred in Scotland/' I am not aware of 

 any other recent notice of these hybrids having been pre- 

 viously observed in this country. 



4. Syrrhaptes Pallasii, Pallas' Sand-Grouse.* 



The specimen exhibited was taken alive in Paisley Moss 

 in July 1863, and was referred to in my Notes on Birds, 

 read to the Society last Session. Since that time it has been 

 carefully kept in confinement, having been purchased by 

 Lord Binning, it was, however, at last unfortunately killed 

 by an accident about the middle of October. The bird is 

 probably a young male. It wants the prolonged primaries 

 of the adult, but has the pointed extremity of its central tail 

 feathers, which project about 2 inches beyond the rest of the 

 tail. Upper parts of head and back pale reddish brown, with 

 numerous transverse markings of dark brown or black. 

 The chin and throat are fawn-coloured, and it has the narrow 

 dark- brown line dividing the neck from the upper part of 

 the breast. The breast and front of the neck are pale greyish 

 brown, and the sides of neck yellowish brown or buff, marked 

 over with round spots of dark brown or black ; but no 

 defined line of dark brown yet separates the breast from the 

 abdomen as in the adult male. The abdomen is of a dirty 

 buff, the back part being crossed by a broad band of dark 

 brown, almost black ; behind, and under tail coverts, greyish 

 white. 



5. Parus cceruleus, the Blue Titmouse, yellow variety. 

 The specimen exhibited shows a curious variety in the 



* In a note since received from Mr K. I. Shearer, he informs me that the 

 sand-grouse which was shot near Wick, as noticed in my Notes of last session, 

 had been feediug at the time on a particular kind of grass, of which he sent 

 specimens, its crop being quite filled with it. Mr Shearer found " on examin- 

 ing the ground that this grass only grew in certain circumscribed localities, 

 and in every place where the sand-grouse had been seen for about a week 

 previously to the time that one of them was shot, this grass was found more 

 or less abundantly ; it grows tlioro in certain barren spots about the sides of 

 the hill tracts or horse roads." The grass sent by Mr Shearer, Professor 

 Balfour kindly informs me, is the common Poa annua. 



