THE GROUSE AND OTHER BIRDS 45 



in England, as well as in Scotland and Ireland, and is 

 found in the pine forests of Europe from Spain to 

 Lapland and Greece. It has been re-established in 

 Scotland since 1838. An allied species is found in 

 Siberia. The black grouse (often called black cock 

 and grey hen) is a second species of the genus Tetrao, 

 namely, T. tectrix. It is often called " Lyrurus tetrix." 

 The French name for it is " coq de bruyere " ; the German 

 is " birkhahn." It is a smaller bird than the capercailzie, 

 but frequently produces hybrids with that species. The 

 beautifully curled tail-feathers are favourite adornments 

 for the hat of mountaineers and hunters in the Tyrol and 

 Switzerland. 



Though the word " grouse " may have been first 

 applied (as some think) to the black cock, it is now 

 the proper appellation of the red grouse. This bird 

 is placed by zoologists in the genus Lagopus the 

 members of which are easily distinguishable from other 

 Tetraonidae by the fact that their feet and toes are 

 well covered with feathers. " L. scoticus " is the scientific 

 name of the red grouse. Being a purely British bird, 

 it has no foreign designations. " L. saliceti " is the 

 name of the allied willow-grouse, which has an endless 

 variety of names, owing to its great range of distribution. 

 The willow-grouse is often called ptarmigan, and is sold 

 as such to the number of thousands by poulterers in our 

 markets, but it is not the true ptarmigan. Owing to the 

 fact that its plumage is quite white in winter, there is 

 much excuse for the confusion. The name " ptarmigan " 

 is the Gaelic word " tarmachan," and no one has ex- 

 plained how the initial " p " came to be added to it. 

 The bird called in Scotland tarmachan or ptarmigan 

 is a third species of Lagopus. It is much rarer in 

 Scotland than the red grouse, and lives in high, bare 



