1014 DR. E. A. WILSON o.v THE [June 14, 



whole of the lower brenst nnd abdomen covered by the red-brown 

 or red-black finely ban-ed feathers of September growth are still 

 in excellent condition and remain unchanged. 



The chin, throat, neck, and upper breast are now mixed with 

 broad-barred l)lack and yellow feathers in forward ]>irds ; while in 

 backwaid birds the throat and fore-neck may still be clad in 

 coi)per-red feathers. 



The legs and feet are already looking worn and less well- 

 feathered, l)ut the claws are long. 



In April and in May, for the simple reason that many hen 

 Grouse died of Grouse Disease during the past six years of the 

 Inquiry's work, the proportion of skins of backward hens is 

 large. 



The birds thus picked up dead can-y one immediately back 

 ngain to winter, for although they ought by this time to be putting 

 the finishing touches to their spring-plumage, they are, in fact, 

 but just succeeding in the belated eflbrt to put on the autumn- 

 dress. They are thus a clear six months late, and afi'ord the most 

 misleading seasonal chai-actei's imaginable. Their legs and feet, 

 instead of being worn and almost moulted clean, are at last, after 

 a winter spent with almost naked legs, well-clothed with thick 

 white feathers. The appearance of the legs therefore in the hens, 

 as in the cocks, is totally misleading to the Keeper or to the 

 »S{)ortsman who considers bare unfeathered legs to be a sign of 

 Grouse Disease. It holds good for autumn only, and in sjiring 

 precisely the opposite is the case, for in April, May, and June 

 none but healthy birds have naked legs and feet. 



The general character of advanced and healthy birds towards 

 the end of Apiil and in May is that of a complete spring-plumage. 

 The whole of the upperparts are broadly barred with buff'and black, 

 and marked with conspicuous terminal whitish-bufl' spots or bars. 

 The underpai'ts, again, are broadly baiTed with butFand black, from 

 the chin to the throat and neck, over the breast and down the 

 flanks, while the central lower breast and abdomen are still in 

 the autunni-plumage of the previous September (Pis. LXXXVI.- 

 LXXXVIII.). 



White terminal spots may, of course, be present on the bi'east and 

 abdomen. These are a local or an individual cliaracter which 

 ■will be mentioned later in dealing with varieties of feather- 

 pattern and coloiation. 



The flank-feathers of the hen in the full spring-plumage 

 show much diversity of pattern. This same diversity even in 

 the same individual bird has led to the belief that the pattern 

 may be changed in an unmoulted feather from the autunni- 

 plumage arrangement of red-brown and reddish-black finely 

 l)arred with lines of l)lack to a much bolder barring of buft' and 

 bhick. It has been surmised, from the examination of single 

 feathers, that the change commences in the centre of the feather 

 on either side of the shaft, and gradually produces another 

 pattei'n of a totally diflerent colour. But can this be possible 



