BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 19 



protection of our large landowners it will be 

 able to hold its own lor many a day, and will 

 continue to add a charm to the lone glens and 

 moorlands of the Highlands. 



THE RED GROUSE 



ALTHOUGH perhaps not quite such a fascinating 

 bird as his near relative the beautiful Ptarmigan, 

 the Red Grouse Lagopus Scoticus has neverthe- 

 less a great charm on his native hillside, as he rises 

 near the intruder with a noisy " Kirr-kobak-kobak." 



The Grouse is, I believe, to be found nowhere out- 

 side the British Isles, and is far less plentiful on 

 the west coast than in the east and centre of Scot- 

 land, the reason being that along the west sea- 

 board very little heather is met with owing to the 

 excessive rainfall, and thus the Grouse does not 

 find congenial haunts. 



Elevation seems to bf of little consideration to 

 these hardy birds, and they are met with nesting 

 on moors at sea level, and up to the elevation of 

 a little over 3,000 feet, which is the highest level 

 at which I have ever found a nest. At this 

 height they have as their companions the Ptar- 

 migan, while occasionally a cross between the 

 two birds is met with. Their nesting season is 

 comparatively early, considering the storms to which 

 they are subject on the mountains, and often a later 

 snowstorm than usual plays havoc with their nests. 

 Especially was this the case during the spring of 

 1906, when, about the third week of May, a very 

 severe blizzard visited nearly the whole of Scot- 

 land. In places drifts of great depth were rapidly 



