BRITISH BIRDS. I 6 - 



white. Length I4'5o. Female : plumage tawny, with 

 blackish bars ; black of lores almost absent, but wing- 

 quills are white. In winter both sexes are white, but 

 male still shows the black lores. 



Resident in the mountains of the Northern Highlands 

 and the Hebrides. 



256. Lagopus seotieus (Lath.). RED GROUSE. 



Hab. British Islands. 



Common on the moorlands and mountains of Scotland, 

 Northern England and Wales ; also in many parts of 

 Ireland. Eggs : 7 to 10 ; yellowish-white, blotched and 

 marbled closely with rich reddish-brown; 1*75 by 1*25. 



GENUS CXLII. TETRAO, Linnaeus (1766). 



Characters much as in Lagopus, but tail is longer and 

 consists of 1 8 instead of 16 feathers. Tarsus feathered 

 but toes bare. 



257. Tetrao tetrix, Linn. BLACK GROUSE. 



Hab. Northern Palasarctic region. 



Male : bluish-black, with a white band across wing ; 

 under tail-coverts also white ; tail forked, the feathers 

 curved outwards. Length 2 1 *oo. Female (Grey Hen) : 

 plumage pale reddish-brown, barred all over with 

 blackish-brown ; also smaller, and tail not forked. 



Distributed over Great Britain, but confined to the 

 moorlands and mountains. It is not found in Ireland. 

 Eggs : 7 to 10 ; pale yellowish, spotted with dark 

 orange-brown; 2*00 by 1*40. 



258. Tetrao urogallus, Linn. CAPERCAILLIE. 

 Hab. Northern Palasarctic region. 

 This fine bird became extinct in both Ireland and 



M 2 



