THE RUFFED GEOUS. 27 



Description Habits. 



undxm the least touch either on one side or the 

 other to drop down and again recover its situa- 

 tion. The black grous are soon attracted by the 

 corn on the horizontal poles. The first comers 

 alight upon them,, and alter a short repast, fly to 

 the baskets, and attempt to settle on their tops,; 

 when the wheel drops sideways, and they fall 

 headlong into the trap. These baskets are some- 

 time* found half-full of birds thus caught. 



THE RED GROUS. 



THIS species is rather smaller than the pre- 

 ceding,, the weight of the male being about nine- 

 teen, and that of the female fifteen ounces. These 

 birds abound in the healthy and mountainous 

 parts of the northern counties of England. They 

 are likewise very common in Wales, and the 

 Highlands of Scotland ; but they have not yet 

 been observed in any of the countries of the con- 

 tinent. 



In winter they are usually found in flocks of 

 sometimes forty or fifty, which are termed by 

 sportsmen,, ' packs' ; and become remarkably shy 

 and wild. They keep near the summits of the 

 heathy hills, seldom descending to the lower 

 grounds. Here they feed on the mountain ber- 

 ries, and on the tender tops of the heath. 



They pair in spring; and the females lay from 

 ii to ten eggs, in a rude nest formed on the 

 c <1 



