BRITISH GAME-BIRDS. 189 



swallow the young grouse chicks as long as these 

 are little. They are only fulfilling the law of natu- 

 ral life, according to which one creature in proper 

 proportion forms the food-supply of another. It 

 matters little in what manner they are killed. The 

 birds of prey do this, as a rule, instantly, and the 

 predaceous animals effect it with one bite. I have 

 made this a special study, so I can speak as to it. 

 And a good shot drops them in their tracks, whilst 

 there is small chance of the creatures being killed 

 by a bad one. He will miss them altogether. 



The ptarmigan might be called the snow-grouse, 

 for he lives and flourishes above the heather. Bare 

 rocks, hurled together in wild disorder, and capped 

 with glistening snow, are the places where ptarmi- 

 gan flourishes. There, compared with other game- 

 birds, he lives without molestation. The bird has 

 three distinct changes in the colour of his plumage 

 in the course of twelve months : in spring, autumn, 

 and winter these are. The changes are very re- 

 markable ones ; if we attempted to describe them, it 

 would require more space than can be given here. 

 The ptarmigan's spring would be when we were 



