The Black Grouse 
35 
"The first, procured through the good offices of Mr. Rowland Ward, was one of a pair of 
adult males which had been killed at Millden, Forfarshire, on the ist of October 1900, by 
Mr. J. L. Cadwalader. The second male was presented to the American Museum of Natural 
History, New York. Subsequently a second adult male was presented to the British Museum 
by Lord Tweedmouth, but bears no particulars regarding its capture. Mr. Grant had never seen 
a female example of this rare hybrid, nor had he previously examined young birds, which appeared 
to be of very special interest." 
The female example, which is unique, Mr. Jones kindly presented to me, and it is 
now in my collection. Mr. G. Ashley Dodd informs me that he possesses a specimen 
of this hybrid killed in Scotland. This specimen is now in the British Museum, as well 
as another, an immature male, exhibited by Mr. O. Grant at the B.O.C. meeting, 
February 17, 1909. Mr. Grant thus describes the latter : — 
"The specimen had been killed on the 6th of October 1908, by Mr. F. W. Stobart, in Glen 
Trool, Kirkcudbrightshire, where Black Grouse are extremely plentiful. It was shot during a drive 
when flying in company with four Red Grouse. The bird was exactly of the same type as the two 
adult males already in the British Museum, but it still retained a considerable amount of the first 
plumage, particularly on the sides of the head and neck, where the feathers were mostly light 
reddish-buff barred with black. The bill was large and rather coarse, and the basal portions of the 
toes were feathered as in the Red Grouse, while the terminal portions were naked and pectinate on 
the sides as in the Black Grouse." 
I have never examined nor heard of a pure white British variety of the Black Grouse, 
although I have seen some beautiful examples in the Scandinavian museums. Even 
partially white examples are rare. Some years ago I saw a Greyhen with pure white 
wings flying near Amulree, in Perthshire. I have seen four pied cocks, the first two 
beautifully speckled all over with white feathers, and killed in Lanarkshire by Mr. J. Allan 
in December 1890. The third example was one I have figured in Game Birds, and 
belonged to the late Mr. Marshall of Taunton ; and the fourth was a beautiful specimen, 
mounted by Rowland Ward in December 1908. It was sent in by Mr. D. Hamilton, 
and was killed at Burgany, Dailly, in Ayrshire, in that month. 
"The head, neck, and upper surface are practically normal, with the exception of the upper 
tail-coverts, which are white, the feathers of the wing coverts, which are more or less edged 
with white, and a few white feathers on the sides of the neck. On the under surface there is 
a good deal of white plumage, with which are interspersed white feathers with black edges. 
This albinistic region extends from the lower neck to between the thighs, where it merges into 
black ; at a little distance from the normal hue of the throat it is narrowed on each side and 
then gradually widens out till it stretches nearly across the abdomen. . . . 
"Tring Museum is rich in albinisms of this species. At the meeting of the British Orni- 
thologists' Club on April 25, 1900, the Hon. Walter Rothschild exhibited seven mounted specimens 
(four males and three females) of Russian origin. The following descriptions are from the Bulletin 
of the Club. Males : (1) Remiges and rectrices mostly pure white ; (2) almost the entire under side 
white ; (3) pied, wings with a great deal of white ; (4) silvery grey. The three Greyhens were respec- 
tively greyish white, pure white, and grey, buff, and black in curious mixture. Three skins of 
Greyhens were also shown, two from Russia and one from an old collection ; one of the Russian 
specimens had the under side, from the fore-neck to the tail-coverts, white, with some blackish 
markings, and the wing coverts with very broad white edgings ; in the other the under surface was 
pied. The third specimen was white, with brown markings on the head and neck, the tail feathers 
pale brown towards base, and some of the body feathers with faint brown shades. In his Game 
Birds Mr. Millais gives a plate representing some of these specimens." 1 
1 Field, Dec. 5, 1908. 
