36 THE GROUSE SUBFAMILY 



under her rather than move. At other times she will share in the 

 alarm of her mate, and half runs, half flutters over the ground. At 

 such times the male will run in front of her as if to check her flight, 

 bowing his head solemnly up and down ; meanwhile both birds keep 

 up a mournful croak. When the young appear, the solicitude of the 

 parents, if possible, is increased. Mr. Millais remarks that the female 

 if flushed when with her brood, and they do not follow her at once, as 

 is the rule, will fly straight away for about 200 yards, then shoot 

 up into the air for about 20 or 30 feet, at the same time calling 

 loudly " ach-ack-ack," or " ee-ack," to attract their attention. So far no 

 other observers seem to have witnessed this performance. 



The young are exceptionally precocious even for game-birds, 

 being able to fly at a few hours from birth. Even when no bigger 

 than thrushes they will ascend and descend perpendicular slopes of 

 several hundreds of feet with ease, accompanied by their parents, in 

 the endeavour to escape some real or imaginary danger. And here, 

 again, we have evidence of the severity of the incidence of natural 

 selection, which has impressed its mark on both adult and young, on 

 their coloration and their mode of flight, and on their instinctive 

 action. The ptarmigan are, so to speak, the most "alive" of all the 

 game-birds. 



