Ganic-Birds. 



237 



THE 

 PTARMIGAN. 

 {Lagopns nnitus.) 



former bird has 



The Red Grouse is an inhabitant of the 



moors up to the Hmit of heather-^'rowth, 



above which the Ptarmigan takes its place, 



The nest is a slight hollow in the ground, 



lined with moss or grass and hidden by 



some overhanging heather or ling. The 



eggs are sometimes as man\' as twelve in 



number, and are very richly coloured, 



having the ground-colour creamy buff, 



more or less concealed by the spots and 



blotches of dark reddish brown, which are 



scribbled all over the egg : their length is 



about an inch-and-three-quarters. 



The chief difference 

 between the Ptarmigan 

 and the Red Grouse 

 lies in the fact that the 

 a snow-white winter 



plumage, excepting for its black outer tail- 

 feathers. The male has a black patch in 



front of the eye, which is absent in the 



female. In summer the dress is much blacker, and in the autumn it is greyer, so 



that there are three distinct phases of plumage. The Ptarmigan is only found on 



the high mountains of Scotland, and it inhabits the same altitude in Scandinavia 



and the other high mountains of Europe to the Alps and the Pyrenees. Its plumage 



assimilates to its 

 surroundings at the 

 different seasons, 

 and it turns 

 white when the 

 snow covers the 

 mountains. Its nest 

 and eggs resemble 

 those of the Red 

 Grouse. 



THE 

 BLACK GROUSE. 



{Lyrurus fctrix.) 



The coloration 

 of this species is so 



1^%-^^ 



The Ptarmigan. 



Thi; 13LACK Grouse. 



