TETRAONIN^. LAGOPUS. 243 



however, is now seldom the case, several families unite into 

 packs in the end of autumn, and continue together until the 

 middle of spring, when they separate and pair. The male re- 

 mains with the female until the young are able to shift for 

 themselves. The nest is generally a slight hollow, with some 

 twigs and straws, among the heath or herbage of the moors. 

 The eggs, from eight to twelve, are of a regular oval form, an 

 inch and seven-twelfths long, an inch and three- twelfths across, 

 yellowish-white, pale yellowish-grey, or brownish-yellow, 

 thickly clouded, blotched, and dotted with blackish, umber, 

 or reddish-brown. The young leave the nest soon after they 

 are hatched, and are led about by their parents, who manifest 

 great anxiety in their behalf. The ordinary food of this spe- 

 cies consists of the tender twigs and leaves of Erica cinerea 

 and Calluna vulgaris, as well as of Vaccinium Vitis idsea, and 

 other small shrubs, together with herbaceous plants and ber- 

 ries, along with which they swallow particles of quartz. Its 

 flight is direct, heavy, but on occasion rapid ; it runs with 

 great celerity, conceals itself by squatting, and is not readily 

 raised. The male emits a loud chuckling cry, resembling the 

 syllables cock-cock, several times repeated. The flesh of this 

 species being very highly esteemed, great havoc is committed 

 among it ; but, as the shooting-season is limited by law, and 

 the birds carefully preserved during the rest of the year, it 

 still continues abundant. This bird being, in so far as is 

 known, peculiar to the British Isles, it has been proposed, I 

 think by Mr Neville Wood, to name it accordingly. This 

 circumstance, however, would not of itself justify the proposed 

 adoption of the specific epithet Britannicus for Seoticus, by 

 which it has hitherto been distinguished, were it not that our 

 other species appears to be absolutely confined to Scotland, 

 and therefore peculiarly to merit the epithet Scoticus. Should 

 I succeed in proving this to be the case, I would then propose 

 naming our common Red Grouse Lagopus Britannicus, the 

 British Ptarmigan ; and our common Ptarmigan Lagopus Sco- 

 ticus, the Scottish Ptarmigan. 



Red Game. Red Grouse. Red Ptarmigan. Muir-fo\\J. 

 Moor-fowl. Moor-cock and hen. Gor-cock. 



Tetrao Scoticus, Lath. Ind. Ornith. ii. 641. Tetrao Scoti- 

 cus, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. ii. 450. Lagopus Scoticus, Brown 

 Ptarmigan, or Red Grouse, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, i. 169. 



159. LAGOPUS CINEREUS. GREY PTARMIGAN. 

 Male in winter white, with a black band from the bill to 



