169 



LAGOPUS SCOTICUS. THE BROWN PTARMIGAN, 

 OR RED GROUSE. 



RED GAME. RED GROUSE. RED PTARMIGAN. MUIR-FGWL. MOOR-FOWL. MOOR- 

 COCK, MOOR-HEN. GOR-COCK. COILEACH-FRAOICH, CEARC-FHRAOICH. 



Tetrao Scoticus. Lath. Ind. Orn. II. 641. 



Red Grouse. Mont. Orn. Diet. 



Tetras Rouge. Tetrao Scoticus. Temm. Man. d'Orn. II. 450. 



Red Grouse-Ptarmigan. Tetrao Scoticus. Selb. Illustr. I. 427. 



Tetrao Scoticus. Red Ptarmigan. Jen. Brit. Vert. An. 170. 



Of the adult male in winter the general colour of the plumaae 

 diestnut-hrown^ inclining to red on the necJc^ on the body variegated 

 with hlack^ on the breast blackish with many of the feathers tipped 

 li'ith white. Of the female in winter the general colour of the 

 plumage yellowish-red^ spotted and banned with black. 



The male in summer chestnut-brown^ minutely barred and spotted 

 with blacky the head and neck also barred^ the breast darker and 

 more obscurely barred. The female yellowish-red^ spotted and 

 barred with blacky most of the feathers on the upper parts tipped 

 with yelloicish-wh ite. 



The Brown Ptarmigan, or Red Grouse, as it is usually- 

 named, although generally distributed in the heathy districts 

 of this country, and abundant in our markets, has hitherto 

 been very inaccurately described, as has also been the case with 

 the Common or Grey Ptarmigan. The variations of colour 

 exhibited by the latter species have been misunderstood and 

 misrepresented ; and, although the former does not change to 

 w^hite in winter, its variations are otherwise analogous. For 

 this reason, at the risk of being thought tedious, I have deter- 

 mined to oiFer to the public a very full account of both. 



