BIRDS 331 



far down, I am told, as Holker Hall.' The Black Grouse is not 

 quite extinct on Whitbarrow, but Mr. Drewery informs me that 

 he is not aware (1891) of any Black Grouse being bred on any 

 of the Duke of Devonshire's moors. Mr. E. B. Lee informed 

 Mr. Mitchell in 1882 that black game were more plentiful in 

 the Winster district than anywhere else in the neighbourhood. 



The Eev. G. Boag has instituted fresh inquiries for me. This 

 is his reply (August 31, 1891): 'A few years ago I am told that 

 black game was very plentiful in the Winster valley, but for the 

 last seven years it has been scarce, though not quite extinct. I 

 suspect it has become scarce through being so hard shot. There 

 are still a few nests occasionally in this valley on the higher 

 ground.' The Eev. T. P. Hartley tells me that he has always 

 found a few black game in the neighbourhood of Sawrey. Mr. 

 F. S. Ainslie adds : c About the best place for them is on the east 

 side of Coniston Lake.' Mr. H. Arnold favours me with the 

 following experience: 'About twenty years ago [1871] I used 

 to shoot in the township of Applethwaite about four miles from 

 Lake Windermere on the west side, and there were then 

 generally a brood or two of Black Grouse each year, and at the 

 same time I heard of a few broods near Winster, also on the 

 west side of Windermere. I believe that there are fewer 

 black game in Lakeland now than there were twenty years ago. 

 I have a line black cock which was shot about twenty-five 

 years ago on Eeston Scar, about four miles from Windermere.' 



EED GEOUSE. 



Lagopus scoticus (Lath.). 



It was the custom in primitive times to kill Grouse at every 

 season of the year, a usage observed in Lakeland during the 

 seventeenth century. The Naworth accounts include many 

 entries of ' Moorcocks ' and ' Moor Fowle ' killed in the summer- 

 time; nor did the young escape the slaughter meted out to 

 their parents, because we have such entries as the following : 

 '15 moorcocks and 6 pootes, iiij 9 . xj d .'; — c 16 morecocks, ij s ., 

 8 poutes, x d .' Once, in April 1620, occurs another name for the 

 Eed Grouse : ' 2 gorcocks, x d . ' • this term does not seem to 



