BIRDS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE 326 
anything to account for the variations. . I <,hn„W h» 
prepared to find that it was, in some instance; at least the 
S tf ^ ' u "^"^ ^ «^P«°* from analogy 
that the black spots become smaller at each successive moul( 
and finally disappear. Analogy, however, is often ver^ 
deceitful . . such varieties in birds generally are far more 
common than most people suppose, because few look closely 
enough to perceive them." I have shot Blackcocks of all 
ages with spotted under tail-coverts, and the best specimen 
IZV'Z' Tf' ^ f ^''""^^'^ Mr. Millais, was 
Sin h';^ tf'^ September 27th, 1899, at Chanloch 
(Penpont) the bird apparently not being a very old one 
~K T'^'^'J'^' u'"" *° ^itJ^ other 
game-birds I have been unable to trace a hybrid between 
a Pheasant and a Black Grouse said to have been shot at 
Craigdarroch (Glencairn) about 1888-1893. Two hybrids 
between a Red and a Black Grouse, labelled "Dumfriesshire, 
1896, to be seen m the Tullie House Museum, Carlisle 
were actuality shot in Kirkcudbrightshire just over 
boundary ; but a hybrid between a Red Grouse hen and a 
Blackcock was shot, so Mr. J. Laurie informs me, in 
Kirkconnel parish in October, 1902, by Mr. John Martin 
and^f nf''".?''"'*' '''''^ specimen 
and IS still m the possession of that gentleman. 
Greyhens assumingthe plumage of the male are occasionally 
met with John Shaw in 1842 wrote to Sir William 
Jardme of such a bird, and says he only once befor^ 
^w another. A remarkably fine specimen of this abnor- 
mah y from Arkleton (Ewes) is to be seen in the Royal 
Scottish Museum, Edinburgh, to which institution it was 
presented by Mr. W. Scott-Elliot in November, 1856 ; and 
Dr. J. W. Martm in 1901 records shooting three Greyhens 
m male plumage in one day in Glencairn.* One was 
snot at Auchanbrac (Tynron) by Mr. E. F. Penn on 
year I killed another at High Scaur (Penpont) which is now 
* Trans. D. and O. Nat. Hist. Soc, December 13th, 1901. 
