RED GEOUSE. 



LAGOPUS SCOTICUS (Lath.). 



Tetrao scoticus, Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. p. 641 (1790) ; Hewitson, 

 i. p. 279. 



Lagopus scoticus, Macg. i. p. 169; Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 73; 

 Dresser, vii. p. 165. 



Although I have had my full share of days on the 

 heather in pursuit of Grouse in Scotland, England, and 

 Ireland, I should find it very difficult to add, from my 

 personal acquaintance with the bird, anything worthy of 

 record to the innumerable articles already published 

 with regard to it from every possible point of view, — 

 ornithologic, poetic, politico-economic, sporting, and 

 culinary. To most of my readers the fact that the Red 

 Grouse is the only bird that we can claim as exclusively 

 British, is probably well known ; all sportsmen are well 

 aware of the fact that its principal food consists of the 

 shoots of the common ling and heath, with various 

 moor-berries, and that, although many Grouse come 

 down to glean on the oat-stubbles in autumn, they 

 seldom voluntarily leave their native moors for any 

 considerable distance, except in extraordinary stress of 

 weather. It is quite unnecessary here to dilate upon 



