1010,] PLUMAGE UF Till': REB (.'RoUSE. 10'2l 



Part III. 



Local Variation in the Phunage of the Red Orousp. 



The followin<if notes are the outcome of nn attempt to find 

 some broad diiferetices between (jlrouse from the lli<jli]ands and 

 Lowlands, East Coawt and West Coast, English, Welsh, and 

 Irish mooi-s. 



It seemed possible that, with a large series of skins of a species 

 peculiar to the British Isles and at the same time so variable, one 

 might discover points in the coloration of the plumage or in the 

 size of the birds wliich could be attributed to some of the varying 

 physical conditions under which they live. 



The artificial transportation of Grouse from one county to 

 another, generally from the southern moors to the northern, 

 often far I'emoved from one another and with veiy different food 

 and climate, has no doubt to some extent confused the issue. 

 But this is a difficulty which Avill increase i-atlier than decrease, 

 and it is even possible that the purity of the Bi-itish breed, at 

 pi^esent the only species of bird peculiar tc our Islands, may 

 before long be entirely lost by the introdiiction of a foreign species 

 on the mistaken supposition that the lattei' is freer from tlie 

 parasite of Grouse Disease. This is not tiie case, and even were 

 it so the species has already been intrr-^iced here and there, 

 and there has been some intei'breeding wit^, our OAvn Red Gi'ouse. 

 There was at any rate some reason for thinking that, unless the 

 opportunity foi' collecting a series of pure-bred British Eed Grouse 

 skins had been taken by the Conimittee, the same wide oppoi-- 

 tunity might not have occui'red again befoi'e the introduction of 

 foreign species had become popular. 



The Grouse Inquiry's colic -tion contains 580 skins of the Red 

 Grousr f- eluding 540 adult birds of both sexes and 40 chicks and 

 pullets. Tiiesc , However, cannot betaken all together in one 

 sei'ies. It is essential, for purposes of compaiison, that the male 

 birds in theii- two plumages shovdd be taken separatel}' in two 

 lots and the females in a similai- manner. Thei-efore the skin.s 

 have to be divided as follows : — 



No. of skins. 



]\Iale birds in wintei'-plumage 241 



Male birds ill autumn-plumage 120 



Female bii'ds in autumn-plumage 108 



Female birds in sinnmei'- plumage 71 



Immature birds of the first 6 months 40 



The largest series of skins is therefore that of the male birds in 

 winter-plumage, and it so happens that this set, both as regards 

 sex and plumage, is best adapted by its general uniformity to give 

 some result when ari^anged map- wise over a large outline of 

 Scotland and England. 



