THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
the feathers of the upper parts are more concentric, and the flank -feathers 
of the adult plumage begin to appear about that time. By the month of 
November the young are generally indistinguishable from the adults. 
Young in down . — Crown very dark chestnut, narrowly bordered with 
blackish, which extends in a line across the forehead to the base of the 
bill, and in a wide band down the back of the neck; lores and wide super- 
ciliary stripes extending to the occiput, buff ; two or three irregularly 
shaped patches of blackish behind the eye and on the side of the neck; 
rest of the upper parts, including the wings, mottled with buff, rufous - 
buff, and blackish; the black markings on the dorsal region forming 
two rather well-marked bands, one on each side of the spine, bordered 
externally by a pale buff area; cheeks and throat pale yellowish -buff ; 
rest of the underparts pale tawny-buff, brightest on the chest and belly. 
When the young chestnut and black feathers make their appearance 
on the scapulars and wings, each has a white spot on the extremity, giving 
the birds a pretty spangled appearance. 
Variations in colour . — Outside the types already described, variations in 
colours are not very numerous; but albinos, or partially white indi- 
viduals are not very uncommon ; sometimes a covey will be found in which 
several birds have the majority of the flight -feathers white, and so closely 
resemble certain willow -grouse in summer, that it would seem as though 
this abnormality must be due to atavism. Pale coloured, cream-coloured, 
creamy-brown, or pale brown birds, with all the ordinary darker mark- 
ings on the plumage are occasionally shot. 
One of these cream-coloured birds was, many years ago, brought to 
Mr George R. Gray, at the British Museum, and offered for purchase 
by Warwick the dealer, who no doubt told him it came from Perthshire. 
Partly, perhaps, through being deaf, and led astray by the abnormal colour 
of the specimen. Gray entered the locality as “Persia,” a country where, 
needless to say, no grouse exists. Subsequently Gray described the bird 
as a new species and called it Lagopus persicus ! A beautiful figure of it by 
Wolf is given in Elliot’s monograph of the Tetraonidoe (pi. xx), where it 
is shown crouching in fear of a passing falcon ! This curious mistake 
was discovered by the writer when preparing his Catalogue of the Game- 
birds in the British Museum. 
A very remarkable male, shot at Loch Swin, Argyllshire, on August 19, 
1892 (see P.Z.S., 1910, pt. i, p. 1033, pi. xcvii), has the greater part of the 
plumage almost devoid of dark markings; the head, neck, chest and sides 
50 
