318 THE RED GROUSE. 



noise ; and 'though the sound which they utter cannot 

 be considered as a song of any description, it is still 

 very lively ; and as it is heard in lonely situations, and 

 over wastes of brown heather, the peasants listen to it 

 with pleasure. It is a sound not easily expressible in 

 words, but it is one which, when once heard, there is 

 no danger of forgetting. Perhaps the nearest approxi- 

 mation that can be made to it in writing, is curr-rr-rrr 

 bec-bec~bec, the r's being prolonged and strongly 

 aspirated, and the last syllables gradually shortened 

 and lowered. This cry is so loud, that it seems to 

 proceed from a much larger bird than the heath-cock ; 

 and, probably, it may have other uses than being a 

 mere love-song. It must, indeed, have for it is con- 

 tinued after the female has begun to sit upon the eggs, 

 and even after they are hatched. While the hen is 

 performing her incubation, and while she is sitting 

 upon her infant brood in their young state, the cry, 

 which the cock repeats at intervals during the night, 

 is obviously the cry of a watchman. This cry is never 

 uttered in the immediate vicinity of the nest after the 

 female has begun to sit, but always from some spot at 

 a little distance, as if it were intended to draw off any 

 spoiler of the night, that may then be prowling about. 

 Neither, in so far as we have observed, is it twice 

 uttered from the same spot; for after the cock has 

 sounded his watch-note on one side of his charge, he runs 

 quickly and silently past the nest, and sounds it on the 

 other side, and thus continues till he has made sure 

 that there is no enemy in the neighbourhood. 



The nest of the grouse is very rude and simple, con- 

 sisting only of a few twigs of heath, and leaves of 



