BLACK-GROUSE 
tail is shorter, the outer feathers being much less curled at the extremity, 
and the tips of the middle feathers are narrowly margined with white. 
Young male in first plumage, — Resembles the immature female, but when 
about as large as a partridge, the black feathers of the first autumn - 
plumage begin to appear on the sides and middle of the breast and belly, 
likewise on the shoulders and back, and in the tail. 
Adult female, — ^Top of the head, neck and back barred with rufous -buff 
and black; wing-coverts, scapulars and secondaries very similar, but 
mottled rather than barred and blotched with black; the longer wing- 
coverts, scapulars and secondary quills irregularly tipped with whitish. 
Primary quills dark brown, mottled on the outer web with buff, the basal 
part of the inner primaries and secondaries white. Sides of the head, 
chin, and throat buff, spotted with black and rufous, and fringed with 
white; abdomen and flanks more mottled with black, legs white, finely 
mottled with dusky. The under tail-coverts whitish or pale rufous, barred 
with black, and widely tipped with white, and extending beyond the middle 
pair of tail-feathers (p. 2, fig. 2). Tail black, mottled with rufous, and 
tipped with white. Total length 17 inches ; wing 8*9 inches ; tail 4*5 inches ; 
tarsus 1*6 inch. 
Immature female in first autumn plumage, — Can be distinguished from the 
adult by having the first primary quill more pointed at the extremity, 
and mottled with rufous -buff. 
Young females in first plumage are much like the adult female, but have 
the rufous -buff shaft -streaks at the ends of the wing -coverts, scapulars, 
outer secondaries. 
Young in down, — Crown rather bright chestnut, bordered with black; 
forehead and lores buff, with a A-shaped black patch behind the bill; 
two wide buff superciliary stripes surround the crown and almost unite 
with one another on the occiput ; two irregularly shaped blackish patches 
behind the eyes and on the sides of the nape. General colour above buff, 
inclining to chestnut on the wing -coverts and rump ; a wide blackish band 
down the back of the neck, commencing on the occiput, and becoming 
double on the dorsal region; the cheeks and throat yellowish -white; 
rest of the under parts pale buff. 
Black grouse are also commonly known as black-game ; the males as 
blackcocks, and the females as greyhens. 
Female assuming male plumage, — Greyhens which have become barren 
either from age or from some accidental cause, such as a shot in the 
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