154 THE COMMON SLACK GllOCgE. 
Tl)i» fjivfiuritM al)Ofle of ilic Wack grou<ie is tin 
alpine nUevp cunntry, wliure l\ii'rii in coinparaiivdly 
liwie heskihf moist flats or mejidows, with a rank 
ami luxtiriaiit horbiiii^i?, imd wIhtp iIh* j^ladea or [lasses 
amuny: tlii? hills uru cloihed vviili natural Iniish of 
birth, haKftl, willow, otuI aldtr, auil havis a taniih'rl 
UoUom of tlft'p ^rn, TheHO afforfi both an ahutul- 
ani nuinily af lood, and Hhi-ker Jroiii ilie cold ai nijj;lit, 
and froiii the rays of ihe inid-suiniuKr'n sun. 
Like the gr«al(.T proporliuu of ihe truR giousf, ihe 
black game is polyganioun ; am! duriri;; the moiilba of 
Jajiuttry, February, and Mari li, when hh adult breed- 
ing plumage of gItiHsyKU'el-hluf is [>ul on, fiii ii+jiriolde- 
lookiiif; and !i|ileiu!id bird. In the warmer sunny day* 
at ihu conclusion of winter and commencemt-'ut of 
sprinjf^ ilie males after feeding- may he setn arrang- 
e(l» on aomn lurf fenrc, rati, or sheep-fold, pluming 
tht^ir wingH, expanding iheir tailB, ami pnicttHlngf it 
were^ their murmurioLr loTe-caU. If the weather now 
continues vtarm, llie florka soon Bepamte, and ihe 
luiiles tieluct Home conspivuous spot, froni whence 
llipy entleavour to drive all rivalsj and comrnt'TiCP to 
(liMplay their aria to allure the female, Tlie piuccs 
seEected at Huch seas^ons are generally deviitions ; 
the turf eni'losure of a former fcheep-fold wliich has 
bet'D diHU^ed, and is now grown over, or some of 
those heamtful spots of fresh and gruHsy jiasture* 
which are evny where to be seen, and are well known 
to thi^ inhabiianti of a pastoral liistrict. Here, after 
perhaps oiany batlJea have been fonglit and rivaU van- 
