ON THE FAUNA OF IRELAND. 373 
Fam. Tetraonide. 
Ireland. Great Britain. 
0 Tetrao Tetrix, Z. 
Lagopus scoticus, Selby. 
0 
Lagopus mutus, Leach. 
Perdix cinerea, Lath. 
»  Coturnix, Lath. + 
In the genera Tetrao and Lagopus, which in the eye of the 
sportsman if not of the naturalist are of all others the most 
attractive, we now possess but one species, the Lagopus 
scoticus. This is common to heathy tracts, from the low- 
lying bog to the mountain top throughout Ireland, and is in 
many places as abundant as in the highlands of Scotland. Of 
the Tetrao Urogallus, Smith, in his History of Cork*, ob- 
serves, that it is now found rarely in Ireland since our woods 
have been destroyed. In his Natural History of Dublin, Rutty 
remarks, that ‘‘ one of these [7. Urogallus] was seen in the 
county of Leitrim about the year 1710, but they have entirely 
disappeared of late, by reason of the destruction of our woods+.” 
In the work above cited, Smith describes the 7. Tetrix as 
“ frequent.” Mr. Templeton states that he had been in- 
formed by excellent authority, that “ black game is mentioned 
in some of the old leases of the county of Down’t; and else- 
where this bird is noticed as a native. That the species alluded 
to by Smith was the 7. Tetrix would seem hardly to admit of 
doubt, as in addition to it he enumerates the Red Grouse. If 
it were really indigenous, its extinction must, I conceive, be at- 
tributed to the destruction of our native woods. The Lagopus 
mutus is not now, nor do I conceive ever was, indigenous to 
this island. ‘There seems not to be in any part of Ireland a 
continuity of mountains of sufficient altitude to be suited to the 
Ptarmigan’s abode. Perdix cinerea is common and resident. 
P. Coturnix frequents the most highly-cultivated districts in 
summer, and within the last few years has in certain localities 
remained throughout the winter. 
Fam. Struthionide. 
Treland. Great Britain. 
0 Otis Tarda, L. 
Otis Tetrax, L. 42 
The latter species, which is a very rare visitant to Great 
Britain, has once been obtained in Ireland, in the county of 
Wicklow a few years ago. O. Tarda is enumerated by Smith 
* 1749. 7 Vol. i. p. 302. 
{ Magazine of Natural History, vol. i. new series. 
