121 



until winter, when several families unite, and are 

 known to sportsmen under the name of packs. 



4. LAGOPUS. . ) WHITE GROUSE, PTAR- 



L. MUTUS, SHAW.) MIGAN, 



T. cinereo alboque varius, pedibus lanatis, remigibus 

 albis, rectricibus nigris, apice albis, intermediis 

 albis. Lath. 



The bill is black ; the upper parts are pale brown 

 and ash colour, with dark spots; the under parts 

 are white. 



In winter they are entirely white, except in the 

 male there is a black line between the bill and the 

 eye. 



The female deposits her eggs on the ground ; they 

 are white, spotted with brown : she lays 8 or 10. 



It is a curious fact, that the feathers of birds often change 

 their colour according to the seasons ; this has generally 

 been supposed to arise from its moulting,* or casting the 



* " It is generally supposed that birds cannot live without 

 feathers, or that they linger out a miserable existence for a 

 few days or weeks ; this, however, does not appear to be 

 true, for we find it stated in the Memoirs of the Society of 

 Natural History of VVetterau, that a Mr. Schoepf of Gottorf 

 reared a featherless canary-bird, which continued living 

 and in good health for upwards of three years/' Edinburg 

 Phil. Journal, No. 3. p. 191. 



R 



