BLACK GROUSE. 67 



spot on the forehead, and a hroad chestnut patch, with 

 darker edges, on the crown. When partially fledged, the 

 bill becomes darker, and the feathers on the back and 

 wing-coverts have white tips and centres. 



The first plumage of the young male is similar to that 

 of the female, but by the beginning of October the female 

 garb has been discarded ; the tail is black, although but 

 slightly forked, with a few mottlings on the upper coverts ; 

 dark feathers, only slightly mottled with browai or grey, 

 cover both upper and under parts, and the white bars on 

 the wings are thoroughly defined. The head already is 

 glossy black, but the brown feathers still remaining about 

 the neck give the bird a peculiar appearance, which is, how- 

 ever, soon lost. The mottlings on the wing-coverts and 

 secondaries disappear with increasing age, and by the third 

 year full plumage is assumed. 



Examples of both sexes are sometimes found with an 

 unusual amount of white about their plumage, and this is 

 especially the case with females from northern and north- 

 eastern localities. Males from Siberia shew more white 

 than Western specimens, but beautiful examples with white- 

 mottled breasts and wing-coverts may also, though rarely, 

 be obtained in Scotland. Isabelle varieties of the female 

 are also met with. 



Barren Grey-hens sometimes assume the male plumage, 

 and the collection of Mr. F. Bond contains some remark- 

 ably fine examples. One of these is nearly black below, 

 with a few mottlings, and rich bluish-purple above ; others 

 shew little more than a tendency to a uniform dull colour, 

 with white bars on the wing and metallic blue on the rump. 

 The weight of an old Black-cock has been known to reach 

 4\ lbs. ; a young one weighs from 2| to 3 lbs., and a Grey- 

 hen from 2 to 2^ lbs. 



Hybrids between the Black Grouse and the Capercaillie 

 have been noticed when treating of the former species. Inter- 

 breeding has also taken place between the Black and the Bed 

 Grouse, and in many parts of this country both birds inhabit 

 the same ground ; but such a union happens more rarely 



