BLACK GROUSE. 249 



The Black Grouse differs considerably in its habits 

 and locality from its namesake the Red Grouse. It 

 is not a bird of the open heath, but prefers the lower 

 parts of the hill sides which abound in plantations of 

 birches and firs. The tracts of country covered with 

 bushes and uncultivated vegetation are its home, and 

 if it is seen on the open moors it is always near the 

 edge where it can quickly retire to the cover near at 

 hand if surprised. Unlike the Red Grouse this bird 

 frequently perches in trees, and also roosts in them. 

 Its food is varied the young shoots of the heather 

 when they can be obtained, at other times berries of 

 various kinds, ants and their eggs, grain and seeds. 

 , The Black Cock does not pair in the strict sense 

 of the word. The cocks are very pugnacious in the 

 breeding season and fight for the hens, just as is the 

 case with domestic fowls, the victorious ones gaining 

 possession of many wives. The eggs are laid in a 

 hollow scratched in the ground and lined thinly with 

 such scraps as are near at hand, a few sticks of heather 

 or leaves and a little moss. The nest is generally 

 well hidden beneath a bramble or under a thick clump 

 of bracken or heather. The eggs are laid later than 

 those of the preceding species. They may be found 

 about the beginning of May, and are six to ten in 

 number, buff in ground colour, spotted and blotched 

 with rich brown. They are much larger than eggs of 

 the Red Grouse, and are not so thickly marked as a 

 rule. Morris says that the female does not breed 

 until she is three years old. These birds have often 

 been known to interbreed with the Capercaillie, Red 

 Grouse, Pheasant and even with domestic fowls. 



The male Black Cock is a handsome bird. The 

 general colour is a shining black, toning into brown- 



