INTRODUCTION. 



The Ptirodctcs or rigoon-Grousc form a small but well-marked 

 group contaiuiug only 3 genera and 17 species, and appear to have 

 been quite satisfactorily placed in a separate order between the 

 ColuniUe or Pigeons and the Gallince or True Game Birds, for they 

 combine many characters found in both these orders. 



The second order, GalUno', contains the great bulk of the species 

 treated of in the present volume. I fully anticipate that I shall be 

 blamed by some for having united all the Nearctic " species '" of 

 Lafjopus described by American Ornithologists with L. ruj^)estrls ; 

 but I am sure that unless the practice be adopted of distinguishing 

 every individutd variation or slight climatic variety by a separate 

 specific name, a carefid study of these birds will lead to the same 

 conclusion as that to which I have arrived (see p. 49). Had the Red 

 Grouse {Latjopins scoticus), that most variable of all the species, 

 been a North-American bird, it would doubtless have afforded even 

 better material for the multiplicatiou of species than L. rn2^estris. 

 Perhaps one of the most interesting facts investigated during the 

 preparation of this work is the peculiar and, as far as I am aware, 

 unjiaralleled case regarding the moults of the male and female of 

 L. scoticus (see p. oG). Two years ago the ^Museum collection 

 contained but few examples of tliis interesting bird, and these were 

 mostly without date, sex, or exact locality, while the Common 

 Partridge (Perdix perclix) was equally poorly represented. Thanks 

 to the kind contributions of numerous friends and correspondents, 

 the series of both these birds is now very fine, and in fact nearly 

 complete, representing as it does birds df both sexes iu every 

 month of the year and showing all the changes of plumage they go 

 through. Of the l\cd Grouse extreme types of variation are still 

 re((uired, as also examples fiom dift'erent parts of Ireland, especially 

 the south ; while of llie Partridge specimens fiom the eastern 

 parts fo its range in the Jiarabinska btei>pes and Altai Mountains 



