54 
TETRAONIDJi. 
did not get a shot ; but as they flew wildly past my companion 
and myself, several were brought down at very long shots, rather 
after the manner of wild fowl {Anatidce) than of grouse shooting. 
On first observing the hoary greyish appearance of the moun- 
tains about Aberarder, and being told that they were good grouse 
ground, I was much surprised, and became anxious to ascertain 
its cause. An examination of the localities showed that it arose 
wholly from the preponderance of the rein-deer lichen [Cladonia 
7'angiferina, Linn., sp.) over that of the heath, this lowly crypto- 
gamic plant prevailing to such an extent as to make the mountain 
sides and tops appear hoary even from the distance of many 
miles. They have the aspect of being bare of vegetation, or as if 
the heath had been burnt off them. A hill over which we one 
day shot, was covered with soft round cushions of this plant ; not 
more than a little sprig of heath, occasionally rising through it. 
The summit of Cairngregor, the highest mountain in the shooting 
ground, is wholly of a pale greyish hue from the predominance 
- of that lichen ; but here and there through it the Lecidea fusco- 
luteoJ^ (Dickson, sp.), in snowy-white patches about the size of 
the hand, met the eye in an interesting manner, from their having 
precisely the appearance of hoar-frost. The Cetraria Islandica 
(Linn, sp.), though not attracting attention like the other two 
species, humbly bore them company. The Lecidea just men- 
tioned was also found on mountains of moderate elevation. 
The picturesqueness, literally speaking, of a grouse-shooting 
party in the Highlands is often extreme. The following note on 
this subject was made on Sept. hth. Six men with the guns, 
game-baskets, and bags, dogs, &c., were sent off about an hour 
before we (five of a party) started to ride to the ground on high- 
land ponies. The men (of whom one was in highland costume) 
and dogs awaited us on a beautiful green bank on the margin of 
* A name applied to the plant on account of the apothecia being of that colour ; 
the crust is snow-white. 
