374 



REPTILES AND BIRDS. 



place ; they delight in rolling in it, and turning it over in search of 

 food, or forming holes in its surface, in which they pass the night, or 

 shelter from the storm. 



The colour of Ptarmigans is perfectly suited to the northern 

 solitudes. Their winter costume is of a brilliant white, save one line 

 of black on the head, and some tail-feathers of the same colour. 

 In the summer, when the snow has disappeared under the scorching 

 rays of the sun, they change their plumage, and become habited in 



Fig. 149. — Hazel Grouse. 



grey, spotted with brown. Like the Capercaillie and the Hazel Hen, 

 they are birds of social habits, and cannot bear captivity. Their 

 flesh is excellent and much prized. Numbers of them are sold in 

 the markets, and considerable quantities are sent every year to 

 England and France from Scotland, Norway, and Lapland. The two 

 principal species are the Lagopus mutus (Fig. 150), common in the 

 Alps, the Pyrenees, and the North of Europe and America ; and the 

 Red Grouse (Lagopus scoticus), which is found only in Great Britain 

 and Ireland, where it is much prized for its beauty, delicacy of flesh, 

 and the magnificent sport it affords when killed over dogs. The 

 1 2th of August, the first day of grouse-shooting, is looked forward 



