44 
TETRAONID^. 
undulated with black and brownish-yellow, and transversely barred 
with black, the bars on the outer feathers occupying as much space as 
the mottled plumage, their tips black for about inches ; this colour 
gradually lessens towards the central feathers, the five longest being 
mottled at their extremities. These present a singular reverse to the 
longest tail-feathers of the pheasant, in which the bars become broader 
as they approach the end ; in this bird they altogether disappear there. 
Some of the feathers on the wing- coverts have the shaft cream-coloured, 
with the centre black, ending in a point towards the tip, as in the 
pheasant ; but the cream-coloured band surrounding it in that bird is 
wanting, and the extremity of the feather is mottled. The lower part 
of the back and rump has a blending in about equal quantity of black 
and mottled plumage, each feather terminating in claret colour. The 
only white in the plumage is a spot on the shoulders similar to that 
exhibited by both sexes of the black grouse, and some markings of that 
colour on the vent feathers. Under tail-coverts black, mottled with 
rich reddish-brown at their tips. Bill intermediate between the 
greenish-horny colour of the pheasant and the black of the Tetrao 
tetrix. Tarsi and toes also intermediate. 
‘‘ Mr. Sabine and Mr. Eyton describe their hybrid specimens as bred 
between the cock-pheasant and grey-hen. But that the produce is as 
likely to occur from the opposite sexes of those species, is indicated 
by the following circumstance. A black-cock, a few years ago in 
the possession of my friend Wm. Sinclaire, Esq., of Belfast, having 
been kept along with a cock and two hen pheasants, beat and drove 
away the cock whenever he approached the hens in spring ; and as a 
brood of pheasants was wanted, had to be removed to another enclo- 
sure. The black-cock at the same time displayed towards these hen 
pheasants all the attitudes by which, in a wild state, the attention of 
the females of his own species is attracted. The naked scarlet skin 
above each eye was so protruded and prominent as to give the head 
somewhat of a crested appearance, and the finely arched tail was thrown 
up like that of the turkey-cock when strutting about in his pride. The 
love-call, so loud as to be heard at a great distance, was almost inces- 
santly uttered. He was a bird of the previous year, taken in autumn 
by John Sinclaire, Esq., on his shooting-grounds in Ayrshire, after 
having been ' put in’ by one of his trained peregrine falcons. He 
lived in confinement for nearly two years. 
