Changes of Plumage in iJie Red Grouse. 63 



accomplished without any moult ; thirdly, those arising from 

 the wearing-off of the tips and fading of the colour. 



Mr. Millais speaks of the changes in the Red Grouse as 

 being coincident with those of the Ptarmigan, but this is 

 not really the case. 



There can be little doubt that our Red Grouse is merely an 

 insular form of the Willow-Grouse {L. lagopus), and that the 

 protective white winter plumage, being no longer a necessity, 

 has been gradually dropped. The Willow-Grouse, like the 

 Ptarmigan, has three distinct partial moults during the year, 

 and one would naturally suppose that in the Red Grouse the 

 white winter moult common to both sexes was the one which 

 had been omitted, but this is only the case with the female. 



Lagopus scoticus is subject to great variation, and before 

 attempting tu give any description of the different plumages 

 I must state that in the male three distinct types of plumage 

 are recognizable — a red form, a hlack form, and a white- 

 spotted form. The first of these, in which the general colour 

 is red without any white spots, is mostly found in the low 

 grounds of Ireland, the west coast of Scotland, and the 

 Outer Hebrides. Of the second or black form typical 

 examples are rarely met with, and it is usually found mixed 

 with either the red- or white-spotted forms j but most often 

 with both, and specimens in mixed plumage are those most 

 commonly met with. The third or white-spotted form is 

 spotted all over the breast and belly, and sometimes on the 

 head and upper parts, with white. The most typical exam- 

 ples of this form are usually found in the high ground of the 

 north of ?^cotland. In the female five distinct types are 

 recognizable — the red., the hlack, the white- spotted , the huff- 

 spotted, and the huff-harred forms. The first two are the 

 rarest: the white-spotted form occurs as in the male; the 

 buff-spotted form, which is the commonest and the one usually- 

 met wilh, has the feathers of the upjjcr parts spotted at the 

 tip with yellowish buff. The fifth or buff-barred form, 

 ^\hich is met with in the south of Ireland, resembles in 

 icinter the ordinary female in breeding-plumage, and has the 

 upper parts ratlier coarsely barred with buff and black. 



Bearing in mind the above remarks, the changes of plu- 

 mage in the ordinary forms may be briefly described as 

 follows : — 



Adult mule {winter and summer plumages). General colour 

 above black, with finely mottled bars of dark chestnut ; head 

 and neck dark chestnut ; top of the head and back of the 

 neck marked with black ; feathers of the mantle, lower back, 

 rump, and upper tail-coverts with narrow transverse bars 



