OCR Text |
Show 228 MR. R. COLLETT ON HYBRID GROUSE. [Apr. 20, about one diameter of the eye). In Lagopus they are still shorter, or one diameter and a half, in T. tetrix one or two diameters longer than the central rectrices. Male and Female.-Besides the markings and size the following differences occur between the two sexes-the tail of the female is nearly square, the side branches of the upper mandible are more developed, and the comb-like scales of the toes and the ridge of the eyebrows are considerably longer in the male than in the female. 1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. 5.. 6.. 7.. 8.. 9.. 10.. 11.. 12.. Total length. mm. .. 470 .. 480 ? .. 508 .. 480 .. 499 .. 505 .. 480 .. 486 .. 530 .. 423 .. 425 Wing. mm. 242 238 237 255 252 245 232 235 235 235 205 205 Measurements. Outer tail-feather. mm. 142 147 138 142 140 ? 146 135 140 150 127 118 Male. Centre tail-feather. mm. 122 117 106 125 9 130 124 115 118 125 Female. 97 100 Gudbrandsdalen, 7 Dec. 1870. Saltdalen, Nordland, 30 Dec. 18' Gudbrandsdalen, S Oct. 1872. Osterdalen, 5 Nov. 1872. Gudbrandsdalen, (?) Nov. 1872, Gudbrandsdalen, 28 Feb. 1873. Hadeland, 27 Dec. 1879. Tolgen, 3 Nov. 1881. Sande Prgd, 9 Nov. 1881. Eoros, 10 Oct. 1882. Gudbrandsdalen, Jan. 1875. Eoros, 7 Oct. 1876. It will be seen from these measurements that the male has an average length of 490 millim., about equal to that of the female Tetrao tetrix (but with slightly longer outer tail-feathers). The total length of the female is about 424 millim., being thus considerably less than the male; it is, however, somewhat larger than the male Lagopus albus. Colouring. Of the fourteen specimens of this hybrid at present preserved in the Museum at Christiania, one is a young bird of the year, on which the brown plumage almost entirely remains ; four are young birds changing to winter plumage, the latter being predominant; finally, are eight in full winter plumage, and amongst these are two females. Besides these there is one specimen (a male in winter plumage) exhibited as a skeleton. In winter plumage are also the specimens in the Bergen and Upsala Museums. The specimens at Stockholm are likewise, so far as is known, in winter plumage, or in the changing from autumn to winter. A long link in the series is entirely wanting in all these collections, namely-the spring plumage, which is probably unknown; the summer plumage, which is in all cases known from |