1026 Dn. E. A. AviLSox ON THE [June 14, 



The tliird or wliite -spotted type is less rare, and occurs, 

 according to Mr. Ogilvie-(!rant, much as it occurs in the male. 



In the Committee's Collection it is well represented by hirds 

 from Sutherland (No. 133(5); lloss-shire, a bird of the red type 

 (No. 176); and Inverness (No. 329). 



It was less to be expected that examples both of the red type 

 and of a darker type, boi'dering on the black, should have been 

 met with in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Westmorland. Single 

 examples wei'e also procured in Dumfriesshire and Kincardine. 



There is a fine Irish example from Co. Mayo in the British 

 Museum (Natural History), No. 1>9.12.1.1. 



The fourth or buff-spotted type of lien Grouse, said to be 

 " much the commonest and most usually met with, has the 

 feathers of the upperparts spotted at the tip with Avhitish-butt"." 

 This type is generally distributed, aiid the Committee's Collection 

 includes examples from Caithness, Sutherland, Ross, Perthshii-e, 

 Ayrshire. Kincardine, Dumfries, Northumberland, Yorkshire, 

 Westmorland, and Lancashire. 



The fifth or buflT-barred form, according to Mr. Ogilvie-Grant, 

 " is met w'ith in the south of Ireland, and resembles in winter 

 (autumn-plumage) the ordinary female in breeding plumage, 

 having the upperparts coarsely barred with bufl:"and black. Very 

 little is known of this last variety, owing to the ditliculty in 

 oljtaining birds, except during the shooting season." 



Unfortunately, the repeated endeavoui-s of the Grouse Inquiry 

 Connnittee to obtain specimens proved unsuccessful, and one hen 

 only was obtained from Donegal. This bird (No. 1217) was a 

 very typical example of the buft'-barred type, and it certainly 

 ditti'red from anything procured either in Scotland, England, or 

 Wales. 



Plate XCVIII. Under surface : bufl-barred form in autumn- 

 plumage. 

 Female Grouse, No. 1217. Donegal, Ireland, 17.x. 07. 



The nearest approach to it was to be found in four hens from 

 Selkirkshire and in hens from Inverness-shire, which were more 

 accurately described as buft-barred than as buff-spotted. 



Single exami)les from Lanark, INtidlothian, Iloxburgh, 

 Haddington, and Northumberland might be referreil to the butt- 

 bari'ed type, and the females from Yorkshire were all rather of the 

 buff-barred type, but none of these birds had quite the .same 

 markings as the Irish example. See Plate LXXXYL, Female 

 Grouse, in full summer-plumage, Scottish buff-barred type. 



Plates XCVII., XCIX., and CI. represent abnormal varieties 

 of the Red Grouse and are di-awn from specimens in the British 

 Museum (Natural History). They are described on p. 1033 in the 

 explanation of the Plates. 



Two points in connection with the practical distinction of old 

 Grouse from yoinig, and of cock Grouse from hens, are of 

 perennial interest both to the ganiekePi)er and to the .sportsman. 



