854 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



shorter, 1st 80-95 shorter, 2nd 20-35 shorter ; outer webs of 2nd 

 to 7th emarginated basally and of 1st to 7th very narrow. Second- 

 aries as long as 7th to 9th primaries, tips rounded. Tail rounded, 

 18 feathers, very broad in adult male, narrower in female and 1st 

 winter, tips fairly square, rounded laterally. Upper and under 

 tail-coverts rather short. Tarsus feathered to base of toes but back 

 of tarsus bare. Hind toe small and elevated, three front ones 

 connected at base by web, and margined with comb-like serrations ; 

 claws strong, slightly curved and dilated, rather blunt. Bill short, 

 strong, curved and smooth, tip of upper mandible projecting and 

 somewhat rounded and thin. Nostril hidden by feathers in a 

 somewhat deep nasal groove. Over and behind eye a bare space 

 covered with small papillae most marked in adult male. 



Soft parts. — Bill pale horn-colour ; toes grey-brown ; iris 

 brown ; bare skin over and behind eye bright red. 



Characters and allied forms.— T. u. aquitanicus (Pyrenees, 

 N.W. Spain) is smaller and female is darker than usual in typical ; 

 T. u. taczanowskii (Siberia) is paler on upper -parts and wing- 

 coverts in both sexes ; T. u. uralensis (S. Ural) is still whiter on 

 under -parts, male has grey of head and rump paler and female 

 longer grey and white tips to feathers of upper -parts. Large size and 

 rounded tail distinguish it from other British game-birds, and in 

 juvenile unbarred under-parts from Black and Red Grouse. 



Field -characters. — Inhabits coniferous woods and more rarely 

 those of oak and birch. Large size and dark colours identify male at 

 once. Female rather larger than Greyhen, is further distinguished by 

 rufous patch at base of fore-neck and a rounded tail barred broadly 

 with black. During courtship display male, absorbed in his 

 performance, seems indifferent to human presence, as perched on 

 a rock or the top of a pine tree, with spread tail and drooping wings, 

 he utters a variety of loud discordant cries. 



Breeding-habits. — A forest -haunting species, preferring coni- 

 ferous woods. Nest. — A hollow scraped in ground, usually at foot 

 of tree in forest. Eggs. — Usually 6 to 9, occasionally 10 to 14, 

 pale yellowish with rather scanty spots and blotches of yellowish- 

 to reddish-brown. Average size of 100 eggs, 57.63x41.37. Max. : 

 62.2X42.6 and 58.3x43.5. Min. : 51.3x39.6 and 54.2x39 mm. 

 Breeding -season. — From early May onward. Incubation. — By female 

 alone. Period : 26-28 days. Single -brooded. 



Food. — From October to April almost entirely shoots of conifers, 

 especially Scots pine, but also at times buds of larch, and very 

 rarely spruce. In spring, summer and autumn diet is varied by 

 insects (including larvae of coleoptera and hymenoptera (ants)) 

 fruit and berries (wild raspberry, juniper, mountain ash, rose, haw- 

 thorn, blackberry, cranberry and bilberry), cereals (oats and maize 

 put down for Pheasants), as well as bracken shoots, grass, seeds, 

 birch buds and in July and August heather tops and bloom. 





