TETRAONID^E. 313 



likely to destroy the pure breed, and to substitute 

 all sorts of white, pied and spotted varieties. 



Family TETBAONID^J. 



Of the Grouse* we can probably claim only one 

 species for Somersetshire, out of the six that have 

 now found a place in the British list. 



BLACK GROUSE, Tetrao tetrix. The grand old 

 " Black Cock " is still, and I hope will long continue, 

 tolerably plentiful in such parts of the county as are 

 suited to its habits. On the Quantock Hills it is 

 tolerably numerous, and still more so on the wilder 

 hills to the westward around Dunster, Dulverton 

 and Dunkery Beacon, although to a certain extent 

 it has been interfered with and its range partially 

 curtailed by mining operations and enclosures. It 

 likes the open heather and woods bordered by and 

 interspersed with open spots of heather and whortle- 

 berry plant, the tender shoots and fruit of which 

 plant form a very favourite portion of the food of 

 this bird ; berries also, such as bilberries, cran- 

 berries, juniper and hawthorn berries, some seeds, 

 the tender shoots and leaves of heath and heather, 

 and of some trees, such as the birch, beech, hazel, 

 willow and poplar : f insects also may be added to 



* As to Sand Grouse, see Preface. 



f Meyer's ' British Birds,' vol. iv., p. 78. 



