8 THE GROUSE IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE 



or seven, and the larger ones from ten to twelve, or even 

 fifteen and seventeen ; but in the latter cases it is probable 

 that the eggs may not all be the produce of one bird. In 

 an average year most nests will contain seven or eight eggs. 

 Birds which breed late on the high grounds do not seem 

 to lay fewer eggs than those which breed early in the more 

 sheltered situations." 1 A correspondent of the Committee in 

 Forfarshire has reported a case of two Grouse hens sitting 

 side by side each on six eggs in a double nest ; and the 

 Committee's field observer has seen two hens sitting on one 

 nest with twelve eggs. 



For the following descriptive notes on the eggs of the Red 

 Grouse in his " Birds of Europe," Dresser states that he is 

 indebted to Seebohm : " The ground colour of the eggs of the 

 Grouse is usually a pale olive, spotted and blotched all over 

 with dark red-brown. The spots are frequently so confluent 

 as almost entirely to conceal the ground colour. In fresh-laid 

 eggs the brown is often very red, in some instances almost 

 approaching crimson. It appears to darken as it thoroughly 

 dries, and sometimes almost approaches black. When fresh 

 laid the colour is not very fast, and before the eggs are hatched 

 the beauty of the original colouring is generally very much 

 lessened by large spots coming off altogether, no doubt from 

 the friction of the feathers of the bird when sitting. If the 

 weather is wet when the bird begins to sit this is much more 

 the case. When the colour has once become thoroughly dry 

 it will bear washing in water without injury." : In his most 

 recent work. Mr Dresser adds: "When blown and kept for 

 some time, the ground colour fades to buffy white, and the 

 spots and blotches darken in some cases to blackest brown. 

 Those in (Mr Dresser's) collection measure from 1'60 by 1'14 

 to 1'82 by 1'32 inches. Mr Jourdain gives the average measure- 



1 Seebohm, "British Birds," vol. ii., p. 430. London: R. H. Porter, 

 1885. 



2 Dresser, " Birds of Europe," vol. vii., p. 170. London : published by the author 

 1871-1881. 



