34 THE GROUSE SUBFAMILY 



a still : and she will often, he remarks, lay her eggs in a nest 

 alongside a footpath where men and dogs pass daily. As to the care 

 of the young, little or nothing has been recorded, but they seem to be 

 abnormally slow in coming to maturity, for birds hatched in June are 

 not full-grown till mid-September ; even when nearly full-grown they 

 are soon exhausted, so that if flushed two or three times they become 

 so bedraggled as to be unable to fly. By mid-September the young 

 cocks separate from the young grey-hens of the brood, and for a time 

 lead a solitary life. 



With the grouse and ptarmigan, on the other hand, though the 

 duties of incubation are performed by the females only, the males ren- 

 der some assistance, at any rate in the care of the young. The female 

 grouse sits close, both on the eggs and young, when danger threatens, 

 as is shown by the fact that instances are on record where a sitting hen 

 has allowed herself to be trodden on rather than rise and reveal her 

 whereabouts. Except she move, indeed, she is invisible, so perfectly 

 does her coloration harmonise with her surroundings ; and this is true 

 also of the young, and of ptarmigan, as we shall show presently. 

 Occasionally, however, a nervous bird will leave her eggs at the last 

 moment, flying low, and soon alighting, when she runs a short 

 distance and watches. The male, on the other hand, who has been 

 keeping guard near his mate, flies far, repudiating his responsibilities. 

 As soon as the young are hatched, however, he displays more courage. 

 Mounting guard, he will fiercely attack a dog or sparrow-hawk, and 

 has been known to fly straight at a man's head as if to strike, swerving 

 off only at the last minute. Commonly both parents feign wounded. 



The ptarmigan, like the grouse, is monogamous, and both parents 

 display considerable anxiety for the young, yet in spite of this there is 

 a considerable infant mortality. Many eggs and broods of young are 

 destroyed by late snowstorms, and besides vicissitudes of climate, they 

 have to contend with many foes. The golden eagle preys largely upon 

 them, though he is an enemy from whom escape is possible, either by 

 flight or by trusting to their protectively coloured plumage, which in 



