BED GBOUSE 273 



that he is willing to go farther and spend more in its pursuit ; for it 

 is not the bird only that draws him : the fascination is of that un- 

 adulterated nature of which the bird is a part, and the sense of 

 liberty and savage life that returns to man in the midst of mountain 

 and moorland scenery. 



To the ornithologist the grouse has another great distinction : 

 it is the only species of bird exclusively British. It is generally 

 distributed in Scotland and its islands, the Shetlands excepted. It 

 also inhabits the moors in the northern counties of England, and of 

 Wales as far south as Glamorgan ; and of Ireland, where, un- 

 happily, it is decreasing in numbers. 



The grouse feeds principally on the tender shoots of the heather ; 

 and also eats leaves and buds of other plants, and such wild fruits 

 as grow on or near the moors. In autumn and winter it is gregarious, 

 and in some localities the males and females pack separately. Pair- 

 ing takes place very early in the spring, and the male, as is usual in 

 the grouse family, courts the female with curious sounds and a fan- 

 tastic dancing performance. The wooing takes place very early in 

 the morning, before there is light enough to feed. Flying up to a 

 height of fifteen or twenty feet into the air, he drops down uttering a 

 succession of powerful ringing notes, which end as the bird reaches 

 the ground. This is repeated again and again imtil daylight and 

 feeding-time suspend the performance. The red grouse is strictly 

 monogamous, and each pair retires to its own chosen nesting-place, 

 where a slight hollow is scratched under a tuft of ling, and five or 

 six to twelve eggs are laid. They are pale olive in ground-colour, 

 blotched with dark red. The female alone incubates, but the male 

 assists in rearing and protecting the young. The chicks when small 

 feed chiefly on small caterpillars. 



Black Grouse. 

 Tetrao tetrix. 



Black with violet reflections ; a broad white band on the wings ; 

 secondaries tipped with white ; lower tail-coverts white ; eyebrows 

 naked, vermilion ; a white spot beneath the eye. Length, twenty- 

 three inches. Female : head and neck rust-red barred with black ; 

 rump and tail-feathers black barred with red ; belly dusky brown 

 with red and whitish bars. 



