THE IRISH RED GROUSE. 863 



Eggs. — Usually 6 to 11, but 12 to 15 occasionally recorded, yellowish- 

 white in ground colour, freely blotched all over with rich dark 

 chocolate or red-brown. Average of 100 British eggs, 45.76 X 32.11 . 

 Max. : 50.1X31.4 and 47.6x34.4. Min. : 41.5x30.7 and 44.9 X 

 29.8 mm. Breeding -season. — Usually latter half April and early 

 May, but exceptionally full clutches have been found by mid -March 

 and once young at beginning of March. Incubation. — By female 

 alone. Period variously estimated at from 20-21 to 23-24 days. 

 Single brooded. 



Food. — Staple food is shoots of Galluna vulgaris, Erica tetralix and 

 E. cinerea, but where these are scarce or absent Empetrum nigrum, 

 Vaccinium myrtillus, Eriophorum vaginatum, Galium, Carex, etc. 

 In autumn cereals of all kinds freely eaten : also fruit or berries of 

 blackberry, blaeberry, cranberry, crowberry, cloudberry, hawthorn 

 and rowan : and during summer leaves of Salix, Rumex, flowers of 

 Ranunculus : while in hard weather turnip -tops and almost any 

 vegetable -food available. Insect food also taken : dipt era 

 (Bibionidse, Empidse, Syrphidae and Molophilus) ; coleoptera 

 (Staphylinidse, Elateridse and Curculionidse) ; lepidoptera (Noctuse 

 esp. Agrotis) ; also Tineidse. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Resident. England and Wales. — In, 

 and west and north of, Glamorgan, Monmouth, Hereford, Salop, 

 Staffs., Derby, Yorks. Stragglers have occurred many counties 

 and introductions have been made in Surrey, Suffolk, Devon and 

 Somerset. Scotland. — Generally distributed, including Inner 

 Hebrides and Orkneys, but not Shetlands, where attempts have 

 been made at introduction and not Outer Hebrides where L. s. 

 hibernicus is found. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Originally exclusively British, but 

 recently introduced (successfully) into the mountains of the Hohe 

 Venn in west Germany and Belgium, and less successfully in other 

 places. 



488. Lagopus scoticus hibernicus (Kleinschm.) — THE IRISH 

 RED GROUSE. 



Tetrao hibernicus Kleinschmidt, Falco, xv, p. 3 (1919 — Ireland). 

 Tetrao dresseri Kleinschmidt, Falco, xv, p. 3 (1919 — Harris and Lewis, 

 Outer Hebrides). 



Description. — Adult male. Winter. — Upper-parts and wings 

 often paler (more or less yellowish), with terminal bars often paler 

 and black bars more pronounced than in L. s. scoticus but frequently 

 no marked difference ; under-parts paler than in L. s. scoticus 

 (usually more or less yellowish-chestnut) and finely and closely 

 barred and very little vermiculated with black, usually no black on 

 abdomen, feathers of which are finely barred as rest, no white tips 

 or very narrow ones to feathers of belly and under tail -co verts ■; 

 often all tail-feathers vermiculated (occasionally barred) with 

 rufous on outer webs ; the vermiculations on outer webs of 



