36 ALLEN'S naturalist's LIBRARY. 



The Red Grouse occasionally interbreeds with the Black-cock 

 {Lrri(7'iis tetrix) and perhaps with the Ptarmigan (Z. mutus) 

 hut the supposed hybrids with the latter species are possibly 

 merely partial albinos of the Red Grouse. Mr. J. G. Millais 

 records and figures a singular hybrid between this species and 

 a Bantam Fowl ! 



■ Nest. — A slight hollow in the ground, sheltered by the longer 

 heather and grass, and hned with moss and grass or such 

 materials as chance to be on the spot. 



Eggs. — Vary in number from seven to ten and sometimes 

 more. The ground colour is pale cream or buff, spotted and 

 blotched all over with dark reddish-brown, which often nearly 

 conceals the ground-colour. Average measurements, 175 by 

 1*32 inches. 



II. WILLOW GROUSE, OR RIPA. LAGOPUS LAGOPUS. 



Tetrao lagopus, Linn. S. N. i. p. 274 (1766). 



Tetrao albiis, Gmel. S. N. i. pt. ii. p. 750 (1788). 



Tetrao saliceti^ Temm. Pig. et Gall. iii. pp. 208, 709 (18 15) 



[part]. 

 Lagopus albiis^ Steph. in Shaw's Gen. Zool. xi. p. 292 (1819); 



Dresser, B. Europe, v. p. 183, pis. 483, 484 (1874). 

 Lagopus lagopus^ Bendire, Life Hist. N. Am. B. p. 69, pi. ii. 



figs. 5-10 (1892); Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxii. 



p. 40 (1893). 

 Adult Male and Female. — Outer tail-feathers black, with only the 

 bases and tips more or less white ; the flight-feathers akvays 

 white ; the bill much larger and stouter, like that of L. scoticus, 

 and the wing about 8 inches in length from the bend to the 

 tip of the flight-feather. 



Male: Total length, 15*5 inches ; wing, S'l; tail, 4*8 ; tarsus, 

 1-4. 



Female: Total length, 15 inches; wing, 7-8; tail 4-3 ; tarsus, 



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