THE RED GROUSE. 81 



In the young in down of a day or two old, are yellowish- 

 buff banded with brown above, and yellowish-brown below ; 

 darker on the breast ; a dark brown streak runs from the 

 base of the bill to the centre of the crown, where it widens 

 out into a broad ruddy-brown patch with darker margin. 

 With increasing age the down becomes duller ; rufous-brown 

 feathers with darker bars appear on the side of the breast 

 and flanks ; the feathers of the wing-coverts and back are 

 rich rufous with black centres tipped with black and white ; 

 the quill-feathers dull brown, with tawny mottlings. 



The young of both sexes resemble the adult female, but 

 by the middle of winter, when the first moult is com- 

 pleted, the young males are very similar to the old ones, 

 excepting that the head and neck are barred and spotted. 



Not being polygamous, it does not often hybridize with 

 other species. The rare instances of its having done so 

 with the Black Grouse have already been noticed. The fol- 

 lowing are the remarks made by Professor Newton (P. Z. S. 

 1878, p. 793) on exhibiting a supposed hybrid between 

 the Ked Grouse and the Ptarmigan (L. mutus) : " This 

 remarkable specimen was lately given to me for the museum 

 of the University of Cambridge, by Captain Houston of Kin- 

 tradwell, in Sutherland, having been shot there out of a covey 

 of Grouse on the 1st of Sept. 1878. As will be seen, it bears 

 some considerable resemblance, above, to a hen Ptarmigan 

 in summer plumage, but its general appearance is much 

 darker. Beneath, there is a greater resemblance to the 

 young of the Red Grouse ; and the primaries are much as 

 in that bird, being, however, partially edged with white to 

 a much greater extent than is commonly found in the latter. 

 I have shewn the skin to several ornithological friends, 

 none of whom have been able to offer any other suggestion 

 concerning it than that originally made by the donor, 

 namely, that it is a hybrid between the two species named ; 

 and in confirmation thereof, Captain Houston told me that 

 the part of his ground on which it was shot is close to a 

 locality frequented by the Ptarmigan. Without having 

 made an exhaustive search, I may say that I am not aware 



VOL. III. M 



