282 
BLACK GROUS. 
Temmiiick also mentions avariety with the plumage 
wliite, varied with brown and red, with black 
stripes ; and one with a black body, with the neck, 
the back, and the wings, white. 
Black Grous are found in most parts of Europe, 
particularly the most northern, where they are 
abundant : in this country they are getting very 
scarce, at least in the southern parts, from the 
introduction of the art of shooting flying, which 
has caused great havoc amongst these birds, and 
has ‘Utterly extirpated that fine species, the Wood 
Grous. The only spots where they appear to 
occur at present in the south are in the wild, 
uncultivated parts of the New Forest, Hampshire, 
Dartmoor and Sedgemoor in Devonshire, and the 
heathy hills in Somersetshire ; but north of Staf- 
fordshire and Yorkshire they are tolerably plen- 
tiful, but most so in Scotland: they are partial to 
sequestered spots, and mountainous and woody 
situations : their food consists principally of fruits 
and berries, and in winter of the tops of heath and 
birch. 
The males are polygamous, and fight desperately 
with each other for the females : about April the 
latter deposits her eggs, which are six or seven in 
number, of a dirty white, blotched with rust- 
colour ; they are about the size of those of a Phea- 
sant, and are placed amongst the highest heath, 
without the least appearance of a nest : the young 
follow the female for some time, but quit her at 
the commencement of the winter, and keep to- 
gether in flocks of seven or eight, till the spring, 
