102 BRITAIN'S BIRDS AND THEIR NESTS. 



ORDER, GALLING ('GAME-BIRDS'); 



Family, TETRAONID^ (Grouse). 



THE RED=QROUSE 



(Lagopus scoticus). 



Plate 34. 



Two points in connection with the species we are 

 about to describe give it a quite exceptional interest to 

 inhabitants of the British Isles. The first is its unique 

 status in our native avifauna, and the other is the 

 extraordinary importance attaching to the Red-Grouse as 

 an object of sport. The latter question we shall very briefly 

 discuss at a later stage. As regards the former, the Red- 

 Grouse is the only species of bird, or indeed of higher 

 animal, which is indigenous to the British Isles, and to 

 the British Isles alone. Within our area it is rather 

 widely distributed, and is exceedingly abundant in some 

 parts. On the Continent it is quite unknown. Being 

 quite sedentary, it does not occur even as a wanderer. 

 On the other hand, there is on the Continent a closely 

 allied bird, the Willow-Grouse, or Norwegian Ryper, not 

 indigenous within our area, although introduced in places 

 and abundant in our markets in winter under the name 

 of ' Ptarmigan.'' The Willow-Grouse resembles our true 

 Ptarmigan in having a white winter dress ; but there can 

 be no doubt that it is more closely allied to the Red- 

 Grouse. In fact, the two species must be considered as 

 having been derived from a common stock, which origi- 

 nally populated the whole of northern Europe, perhaps at 

 a time when our islands were joined to the mainland. 

 Since then the Red-Grouse has dropped the white winter dress 



