NATURAL HISTORY. 



325 



LAGOPUS. (Gr. Acywf , a Hare ; TTOV<; , a foot ; the Ptarmigan.) 



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Scoticus (Lai Scotch), the Red Grouse. 



The RED GROUSE has never been found wild on the Conti- 

 nent, but seems to confine itself exclusively to the heaths of 

 Scotland, Wales and Ireland. In these places it is very 

 numerous, associating in flocks or " packs," and together 

 with the black grouse is eagerly pursued by sportsmen, who 

 are frequently baffled by the shy and wary habits of the birds. 

 The nest of the Red Grouse is formed of heath and grass 

 carelessly heaped together on the ground under the shelter 

 of some low shrub. The young are fully fledged by August. 



THE PTARMIGAN. 



The legs and feet of the PTARMIGANS are thickly covered 

 with hair-like feathers reaching as far as the claws. Their 

 plumage bears a singular analogy to the fur of the ermine 

 and some other quadrupeds, as it changes in winter from a 

 rich almost tortoiseshell colour to a pure white. The 

 common Ptarmigan inhabits the northern parts of Europe 

 and America, and is also found in the north of Scotland, 

 principally among the mountaii^. The colour of the bird 

 is so similar to that of the mossy and lichen-covered rocks 



