434 



GROUSE 



Britain, represented by the Willow Grouse (L. 

 albus) in other northern countries. (3) The ruffed- 

 grouse, in the genus Bonasia, are exceptional in 

 having the lower part of the leg bare, and can 

 elevate the soft feathers on the sides of the neck. 

 Well known is the American species B. umbellus, 

 with several varieties. They frequent woods, roost 

 in trees, nest on the ground, and fly straight and 

 swiftly. The male is famous for his habit of 

 'drumming.' 'He stands upon a trunk of some 

 fallen tree, and, stretching himself into a hori- 

 zontal position, beat i stiffly downwards with his 

 wings, slowly at first, increasing the strokes until 

 they become so rapid that the wings are invisible. ' 

 This loud drumming noise is heard even after the 

 limits of the breeding season. An allied species, 

 the Hazel Grouse (B. betulina), is widely distrib- 

 uted in Europe and Asia, but is without ruff' or 

 drumming. Along with two other species it is 

 sometimes ranked in a separate genus, Tetrastes. 



(4) Among the numerous North American grouse, 

 besides species of Bonasia and Lagopus, there are 

 first of all several forms nearly related to, if nob 

 included within the genus Tetrao. The 'Blue 

 Grouse' ( Dendragapus ) inhabit evergreen forests 

 at a high elevation ; the males emit in spring a 

 prolonged whirring sound from the contraction of 

 two dilatable sacs on the neck. The flesh is 

 white and delicate. The Spruce Grouse ( Canace ) 

 are represented by several species 'forest- and 

 swamp-loving birds, very tame and unsuspicious, 

 with dark and generally 'bitter flesh.' Well known 

 are the Prairie Hens or Prairie Chickens, of which 

 Cupidonia, or sometimes Tetrao cupido, is the 

 commonest, though in process of rapid extermina- 

 tion even in spite of the laws. It is rather smaller 

 than a blackcock, reddish-brown in colour, with 

 beautiful markings of black and white, and bears 

 on the sides of the neck two large dilatable sacs, 

 hidden by erectile feathers, and producing by their 

 expansion and contraction loud ' booming ' sounds, 

 which, as well as the combats between rival males, 

 enliven the breeding season. The flesh is much 

 esteemed, and the bird is ruthlessly persecuted. 

 Nearly related, but with less-developed neck sacs, 

 is the sharp-tail grouse, referred to the genus 

 Pedisecetes. The largest American grouse, how- 

 ever, is the Cock of the Plains or Sage Cock 

 (Centrocercus urophasianus), the male of which 

 approaches our capercailzie in size, though not by 

 any means in weight. It is dispersed over the 

 western plains, and, according to Elliot, owes the 

 bitter unpalatable character of its flesh to its diet 

 of Artemisia or ' wild sage ' which abounds in these 

 desert regions. The tail is remarkably long, the 

 neck sacs very large, the usually hard gizzard 

 portion of the stomach remains soft. As the Sand- 

 grouse ( Pteroclidse ) one of which, Pallas's Sand- 

 grouse (Syrrhaptes paradoxus), has been coming 

 in increasing numbers to Britain since 1859 are 

 not grouse, if indeed even gallinaceous, they must 

 be noticed separately. 



Returning now to British grouse (Tetraonidse), 

 we have to deal with (1) the Capercailzie (Tetrao 

 urogdllw), f (2) the Blackcock (T. tetrix), (3) the 

 rare Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus), and (4) the Red 

 Grouse (L. scoticus). The first three are separately 

 discussed ; it remains to notice briefly the last, 

 which is in a special sense the British grouse. This 

 is strictly an insular ptarmigan which does not 

 change its colour, and is very nearly related to the 

 Willow Grouse (L. albas) of the Continent. It 

 is widely distributed on the moors in the north of 

 England, in Ireland, but above all in Scotland. 

 The male measures 16 inches, and is predominantly 

 reddish and chestnut-brown with some black and 

 white. The female is rather smaller, and with 

 more of the light chestnut plumage. The colour 



varies considerably in different localities. Pairing 

 occurs in early spring ; the nest is slight, and on 

 the ground usually among heather ; the eggs (eight 

 to ten) are 'of a buffish-white ground colour. 



The Red Grouse (Lagopus scoticus). 



mottled with rich red or brown.' The female sits 

 very close, and the male gives warning of danger. 

 The birds feed on leaves and fruit of bilberry, 

 tips of heather, sedge seeds, and the like. 



Grouse are well known to be subject to a deci- 

 mating disease, but neither in regard to the direct 

 or indirect conditions of the epidemic is there any 

 certainty. It was first noticed (1815-20) about 

 the time when shootings began to be let and 

 protection or over-preservation became common. 

 Atmospheric conditions, sheep, sheep- wash, heather- 

 blight, &c. have been blamed, while John Col- 

 quhoun, author of The Moor and the Loch, strongly 

 maintained that the indirect cause was simply 

 over-preservation. The destruction of birds of 

 prey, which used to kill off unhealthy birds, must 

 certainly have its nemesis. Tapeworms are often 

 found in grouse, but are not regarded as of much 

 import; a round worm (Strongylus) is possibly 

 more injurious ; most probably, however, the 

 disease is due to bacteria of some sort, and runs 

 riot in unnatural conditions. 



Grouse-shooting has long been a popular sport 

 with those living where the birds abounded, but 

 it was not till near the middle of the 19th century 

 that Southrons began to flock into Scotland for 

 this sport, and shooting rents to grow rapidly. In 

 many districts the 12th of August is the most 

 important date in the year. Many thousands of 

 acres now bring their owners large rents for grouse- 

 shooting ; there are said to be in Scotland in all, 

 besides deer-forests, some 2400 separate shootings, 

 on most of which grouse are found. Grouse occur 

 in every Scottish county, but Perthshire is the 

 chief grouse-shooting region. An area of 10,000 

 acres well, stocked with birds, and having a shoot- 

 ing lodge, can hardly be leased for less than 500 

 ler annum (Outdoor Sports in Scotland, 1889) ; if 

 jhere be salmon and ground-game, the rent may be 

 600. The rents may be said to run from tenpence 

 & half-a-crown an acre. In a good season, 500,000 

 arace may be shot. It is computed that every 

 3race costs the sporting tenant a sovereign. Hence 

 if each of the 2400 grouse-moors yield each on an 

 average 200 brace, the total (960,000 birds) would 

 represent a grouse-shooting rental for Scotland of 

 480,000. 



See BLACKCOCK, CAPERCAILZIE, PTARMIGAN, SAND- 

 GROUSE ; also D. G. Elliot, The Tetraonince ( New York, 

 L864-65); also in The Riverside or Standard Natural 

 History, edited by J. S. Kingsley ( Lond. and Boston ) ; 

 A. B. Meyer, Unser Auer-, Rachel-, und Birkwild ( Vienna, 

 L887, folio atlas with 17 plates of grouse ) ; R. W. Shu- 

 'eldt, Osteology of North America Tetraonidce ; Bull, 



