282 



BLACK GROUS. 



Temminck also mentions avariety with the plumage 

 white, varied with brown and red, with black 

 stripes ; and one with a black body, with the neck, 

 the back, and the wings, white. 



Black Grous are found in most parts of Europe, 

 particularly the most northern, where they are 

 abundant : in this country they are getting very 

 scarce, at least in the southern parts, from the 

 introduction of the art of shooting flying, which 

 has caused great havoc amongst these birds, and 

 has utterly extirpated that fine species, the Wood 

 Grous. The only spots where they appear to 

 occur at present in the south are in the wild, 

 uncultivated parts of the New Forest, Hampshire, 

 Dartmoor and Sedgemoor in Devonshire, and the 

 heathy hills in Somersetshire ; but north of Staf- 

 fordshire and Yorkshire they are tolerably plen- 

 tiful, but most so in Scotland : they are partial to 

 sequestered spots, and mountainous and woody 

 situations : their food consists principally of fruits 

 and berries, and in winter of the tops of heath and 

 birch. 



The males are polygamous, and fight desperately 

 with each other for the females : about April the 

 latter deposits her eggs, which are six or seven in 

 number, of a dirty white, blotched with rust- 

 colour 'y they are about the size of those of a Phea- 

 sant, and are placed amongst the highest heath, 

 without the least appearance of a nest : the young 

 follow the female for some time, but quit her at 

 the commencement of the winter, and keep to- 

 gether in flocks of seven or eight, till the spring. 



