2i66 



THE GAME BIRDS AND RAILS 



chestnut winter feathers, with their mottled black bars, begin to appear, the whole 

 change being completed by December. Some of the autumn feathers are, however, 

 often retained on the back, and may be distinguished from the winter plumage at a 

 glance. The male breeds in this plumage, and very shabby and worn he is by the 

 end of the nesting season. It will thus be seen that the male and female have two 

 changes in the season, but while those of the latter are, as might be expected, made 

 in spring and autumn, the male changes in autumn and winter. The Rocky Moun- 

 tain ptarmigan (L. leucurus} is the smallest representative of the genus, and is rec- 

 ognized by its pure white tail. 





ac Game 



WH.I/JW GROUSE IN WINTER DRESS. 



The next group of grouse we have to notice are the black game, 

 which have the legs covered with feathers, but the feet naked, and the 

 sides of the toes are furnished with horny comb-like appendages. Only two species 

 are known, the black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix} of Europe and Asia, and the Cauca- 

 sian black grouse (L. mlokosiewiczi ) . The two sexes are commonly known as black- 

 cock and gray hen; and the males are distinguished by their general black plumage, 

 the peculiar shape of their tail, the outer feathers of which are elongated and curved 

 outward at the extremity. In the blackcock the under tail coverts are white, while 



