RED GROUSE. Ldffopws Sottlciu. 



interspersed with feathers, and places it on the ground under the shelter of a heather-tuft. 

 As soon as hatched, the young are able to run about, and are led to feed by both parents. 

 These birds are greatly persecuted by sportsmen ; but, in spite of their annual losses, they 

 increase rather than diminish in number, except in seasons like the present (1861), when 

 they are suffering greatly from internal parasites. 



The colour of the Red Grouse is extremely variable, differing according to the locality 

 or the season of year ; and cream-coloured and speckled varieties are most uncommon. The 

 ordinary plumage is as follows : In winter the adult male is chestnut-brown upon the upper 

 surface, barred and speckled with black, and diversified by a few feathers of light yellowish 

 brown. The head and neck are also chestnut-brown, but of a warmer tint than the back. 

 Over the eye is a crescent-shaped patch of light scarlet bare skin, slightly fringed above. 

 The tail is brown, with a tinge of red on the central feathers. The breast is brown, and 

 the remainder of the under surface and flanks is of the same hue, each feather being 

 tipped with white. The short plumage of the legs and toes is greyish white. In summer 

 the red is lighter, and the body is sprinkled with yellow. The female is smaller and 

 lighter than her mate, with more yellow and less red. In total measurement the male 

 bird is about sixteen inches in length. This bird is also called the lied Ptarmigan and the 

 Brown Ptarmigan. 



The COMMON PTARMIGAN (Ldgopus vulgdris) belongs to the same genus. This is the 

 smallest of the British Grouse, and is not restricted to Great Britain, being found in 

 Northern and mountainous Europe, especially in Norway and Sweden, and is also an 

 inhabitant of North America. 



This bird has a habit of resorting to stones and broken ground covered with lichens, 

 which so exactly harmonise with the colours of its plumage that it is hardly distinguishable 

 from the ground on which it is sitting, and under such circumstances it squats very 

 closely. A person may walk through a flock without seeing a single bird. Mr. McGillivray 

 says : " When squatted, they utter no sound, their object being to conceal themselves ; and 

 if you discover the one from which a cry has proceeded, you generally find him on the top 



