92 BRITISH BIRDS 



buff, every feather barred with a dark and a Hght mark 

 that gives her a mottled, greyish appearance ; she also has 

 the white shoulder spot and the red eye streak like her 

 mate. The legs of both sexes are covered in front with 

 hair-like feathers, but the toes are bare. 



The species is polygamous, and the females are said 

 not to breed before they are three years old. The eggs 

 are six to eight or nine in number, yellowish-white spotted 

 with brown. Black Grouse incubate for 21 days. 



The Red Grouse. 



This bird has the distinction of occurring in Great 

 Britain only, and there mainly in the northern Kingdom, 

 attempts to introduce it elsewhere having practically been 

 a failure. It is found on moors and heaths, but also on 

 lower ground if there is any heather there, upon the tops 

 of which it principally feeds. It is too well known to 

 need description. It has occasionally bred in confinement. 

 The eggs vary from eight to twelve in number, and are 

 very different in appearance, even in the same batch, but 

 the most usual colour is greyish-white thickly marked 

 with black and brown spots. In point of size and weight 

 these birds are somewhat variable, some weighing as 

 much as 30 ounces, while others only scale 19 ounces. 

 The Red Grouse pairs probably for life, and both parents 

 attend to the young: these are able to run soon after being 

 hatched, at which time they feed principally on insects. 



THE GUILLEMOT. 



This is one of the commonest of our seaside birds, 

 and exists in great numbers in many suitable localities. 

 They only lay one ^%g, and those of individual birds are 

 very variable in appearance, some being green, others light 

 brown, and others cream colour, spotted with black and 

 brown; they are extraordinarily large for the size of the 

 bird, and are round at one end and very tapering at the 



