8 THE GROUSE IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE 



country and south country moors. In Yorkshire by the end of April many 

 birds have begun to sit, while in central Scotland from April 25th to May 20th 

 would probably cover the dates by which the full clutches are complete on 

 most moors. The intervals between the laying of each egg vary enormously 

 in captivity, probably also in nature, depending upon the weather ; for 

 intervals example, at the Committee's observation area in Surrey it was noted 

 of laying, ^at one hen took twenty-nine days to lay ten eggs an average of 

 one egg every three days ; another laid only four eggs in twenty-six days, or 

 an average of one egg every six and a half days. The clutch averages from 

 seven to ten, and rarely reaches twelve. 



Macdonald states that the hen lays eight to fourteen or sixteen eggs, 1 while 

 Macpherson gives seven and eight as the most usual number of eggs, and states that 

 Number " more than ten is quite exceptional." 1 Seebohm, who speaks with 

 f eggs, authority on all questions of British oology, states that the number of 

 eggs laid would seem "to vary with the propitiousness or otherwise of the season. 

 In very wet and cold springs the smallest clutches contain four or five, and the 

 largest eight or nine ; whilst in very favourable seasons the small clutches are six 

 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." ' 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 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 



<l 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 



1 Macdonald, " Grouse Disease," p. 99. 



2 Fur and Feather Series, " The Grouse," p. 22. 



3 Seebohm, "British Birds," vol. ii. p. 430. London : R. H. Porter, 1885. 



