Society to a specimen of a hybrid bird, between: the common
Pheasant and the Grey Hen, which was" exhibited. Its legs
were partially feathered; it bore on the shoulder a white
spot, and its middle tail-feathers were lengthened. I t was
bred in Cornwall.—Zool. Proc. 1884, page 52. This bird
belonged to Sir William Call.
In 1885, T.. C. Eyton, Esq. residing near Wellington,
Shropshire, sent up for exhibition to the Zoological Society,
a hybrid bird between the cock Pheasant, and the Grey Hen,
with a note* as follows :— “ For some years past a single
Grey Hen has been seen in the neighbourhood of the Merrington
covers, belonging to Robert A. Slaney, Esq. but she
was never observed to be accompanied by a Black Cock, or
any other of her species. In November last a bird was shot
on the manor adjoining Merrington, belonging to J . A.
Lloyd, Esq. resembling the Black game in some particulars,
and the Pheasant in others. In December another bird was
shot in the Merrington covers, resembling the former, but
smaller; this, which is a female, is now in my collection,
beautifully preserved by Mr. Shaw of Shrewsbury.”—Zool.
Proc. 1885, page 62. _
The figure given on the opposite page represents, this bird,
Mr. Eyton having with great kindness allowed me the use of
his specimen for that purpose. Mr. Eyton observes in his work
on the Rarer British Birds, that the brood to which his hybrid
bird belonged, consisted of fivq; one'of them remained in the
possession of J . A. Lloyd,"Esq. of Leaton Knolls : the other
three, with the old Grey Hen, fell victims to a farmer’s gun, and
were consequently destined to-the table. Mr. Eyton further
remarks, at page 101, that he had also seen another specimen
killed near Corwen, in Merionethshire, and then in the collection
of Sir Rowland Hill, Bart.
In the first volumeof the Magazine of Zoology and
Botany, William Thompson, Esq. of Belfast, describes in
BLACK GROUSE. 809
detail another hybrid that had been shot in Wigtonshire, and
was preserved for Sir Andrew Agnew, Bart. M.P. This
bird was shot in a wild state at Lochnaw, where it had been
seen several times on the wing by persons who imagined it to
be a wild Turkey. Pheasants and Black Grouse are numerous
in the surrounding plantations ; but this was the only bird of
the kind that had been observed.
In December 1887, Mr. Johli Leadbeater exhibited at the
Zoological Society a male hybrid between the Pheasant and
Black Grouse. I t was observed that this was the third specimen
which had been-..sent to the Society for exhibition