The Red Grouse 39 
that the cock Grouse has a partial breeding dress came from Cambusmore in Sutherland, 
on March 24th. A large number of new rich black and golden-yellow feathers were found 
coming in all over the crown, cheeks, throat, and back of the neck, but not on any other 
part of the plumage. From this date until the end of the month five specimens all showed 
a similar infusion of new feathers to the same parts, and were also brighter in their re- 
pigmented parts than early March birds. On March 30th I received from Bleaton Hallet 
in Perthshire, the first bird to moult the feathers off the legs and toes, whilst on June 15th 
a male from Bearnock, Inverness-shire, had only commenced to shed its long feet and 
toe feathers. 1 
Throughout March and April all specimens exhibited the influx of new feathers of 
brilliant black and yellow amongst the old winter red ones that had been recoloured. 
These additions extended over the whole of the head and neck, but not as far as the 
nape, and although a number of feathers, evidently moulting, came from a bird from 
Alness (April 20th), no true autumn moult, except on the parts noticed and on the feet 
and legs, takes place until early June. There is a tendency, but only a tendency and 
not a general change, amongst the black and white types of males towards red in the 
repigmented summer plumage ; for on April 13th I received two fine males of a black form 
from Nairnshire, which were still as black as any full winter birds. In the case of the 
very white types found in Sutherland and on high grounds, the white under parts are 
generally darker than during winter, and this is due not to tip-wearing, as we might 
expect, but to an extension of the black towards the exposed parts of the feathers — in 
fact, to a pattern change. Nature abhors contrasts, and takes this method of assimilation 
to surroundings. 
On May 1st a very interesting bird was received from the Duke of Devonshire's 
moors at Buxton in Derbyshire. This has the whole of the head, cheeks, throat, and 
neck complete with new richly-marked black and yellow feathers, whilst a few new 
golden-pointed feathers were coming into the nape, back, and scapulars. Another similar 
bird from Broomhead Moor, Yorkshire, received on May 13th, had a large number of 
bright summer plumage feathers entering the plumage all over the breast, nape, scapulars, 
and tail-coverts, &c, but not on wings or belly. These two birds are of the highest 
importance, because they seem to me to show that in individual cases the cock Grouse does 
have, to a considerable extent, a distinct breeding dress, which must not be confounded 
with the true autumn moult which, as Mr. Grant has already correctly stated, com- 
mences in some cases as early as June 6th. These " summer-plumage " features would 
doubtless form part of the true autumn plumage, and would be cast somewhere about 
mid-September, but that does not seem to detract from the fact that they are a separate 
and ornamental attribute of the plumage achieved by the bird for decorative purposes 
during the time of brilliance, whilst in colour they are in no way quite similar to the dull 
buff and black autumnal dress assumed in June. 
Broadly speaking, and without losing sight of individual variation due to condition, 
climate, season, and latitude, it may be said that from the 18th of June until the end of 
that month the cock Grouse is in full- moult — tail, primaries, and all. The legs and feet 
1 In the moult on these parts of the cock Grouse alone I found great irregularity. Although other parts were normal, the toe 
and leg shedding of feathers seems to bear no relation to the rest of the plumage. 
