I io THE BLACK GROUSE OR BLACK COCK 



be seen in the London shops. It lives in pine forests, feeding on 

 the cones of the fir, which at some seasons give an unpleasant flavour 

 to the flesh. Reintroduced from Norway, it prospers where it is 

 well preserved, especially in Scotland. 



The BLACK GROUSE or BLACK COCK (Tetrao tetrix), Fig. 69, a 

 member of the family Tetraonidae, is about the size of a common 

 fowl, though it is much heavier, and is distinguished by the male 

 having the outer feathers of the tail curved outwards so that 

 the tail is lyre-shaped. It does not pair, but on the return of 

 spring the males assemble in great numbers, when a contest , for 

 superiority ensues, and continues with great bitterness till the 

 vanquished are put to flight. It chiefly lives in high and wooded 

 situations, and is still found on the moors of Scotland, feeding on 

 various kinds of herbage and on berries. 



FIG. 69. THE BLACK GROUSE OR BLACK COCK. 



The RED GROUSE (Lagopus scoticus), Fig. 70, a member of the 

 Rasorial birds (so named from their scratching habits, and repre- 

 sented by such forms as the fowls, turkeys, pheasants, partridges, 

 grouse, and pigeons) is included in the family Tetraonidae, the legs 

 being feathered in this genus down to the toes. It is also called 

 moor fowl and is found in great plenty in the Highlands of Scot- 

 land, also in Wales, the North of England, Ireland, and the Scottish 

 islands. It pairs in the spring ; the female lays eight or ten eggs 

 in a nest formed of heath and grass, carefully heaped together on 

 the ground under the shelter of some low shrub. The young follow 

 the hen the whole summer. The young are fully fledged by August, 

 and when they have attained their full size they unite in flocks of 



