THE WILLOW GROUSE AND PTARMIGAN. 2; 



of the Gallince by having their feet and toes densely covered 

 with feathers. The tail is moderately long, and composed of 

 sixteen feathers, the outer ones being nearly as long as the 

 middle pair. 



I. THE RED GROUSE. LAGOPUS SCOTICUS. 

 {Plates II. and III.)* 

 Tetrao scoticus, Lath. Gen. Syn. Suppl. i. p. 290 (17S7). 

 Lagopus scoticus, Leach, Syst. Cat. p. 27 (18 16); Millais, 

 Game-Birds, pp. 43-62, pis. and woodcuts (1892); Ogilvie- 

 Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 35 (1893); id. Ann. 

 Scot. Nat. Hist. 1894, pp. 129-140, pis. v. vi. 



Adult Male and Female. — This species may be distinguished by 

 having the flight-feathers always blackish-brown. 



Male: Total length, 15-5 inches; wing, 81 ; tail, 4*8 ; tar- 

 sus, 1 "4. 



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

 sus, 1 35. 



Range. — Great Britain and Ireland. The only species of 

 Game-Bird peculiar to the British Islands. 



Changes of Plumage. — As no group of birds, as far as we are 

 aware, go through so many and such varied annual changes of 

 plumage as the members of the genus Lagopus, which includes 

 the Red Grouse, Willow Grouse, and four species of Ptarmigan, 

 it will be necessary to enter somewhat fully into details so as 

 to thoroughly understand the subject. 



The Red Grouse being one of the most variable birds in 

 existence, we must begin by saying a few words regarding 

 individual variation. The ordinary varieties of the male may 

 be divided into three distinct types of plumage : a red form, a 



* I am much indebted to the courtesy of the editors of the "Annals of 

 Scottish Natural History" for allowing me to reproduce the plates illustrating 

 my article " On the Changes of Plumage in the Red Grouse," published in 

 their magazine and quoted above. 



