COMMON PTARMIGAN 
birch, and various kinds of berries, seeds and buds of mountain plants. 
The crops of several examined in November contained woody shoots and 
buds of blaeberry, and a few leaves of the same plant, also shoots of 
crowberry. Ptarmigan are also said to eat the green tops of heather and 
ling, and probably do so, but none of the birds examined by myself and 
others contained either of these plants. 
Unlike the red grouse, ptarmigan never visit the low grounds in search 
of grain, but when feeding in the early morning and evening they move a 
little lower down the slopes in search of food. Like all game-birds, they 
swallow large quantities of quartz grit to aid digestion. 
Flight . — ^The flight of the ptarmigan is much like that of the red grouse, 
but even more rapid and powerful, especially when traversing steep 
hill -sides. They are, however, much harder to flush, trusting to the pro- 
tective coloration of their plumage, which harmonizes so perfectly 
with their surroundings at all seasons of the year, and prefer to escape 
by hiding themselves, crouching flat amongst the broken stony ground. 
When flushed on the steep rocky faces of the mountains, they generally 
fly straight out over the abyss below, and then drop swiftly down hill, 
much like rock -pigeons, following the slopes of the ground till they reach 
some distant place of safety. There can be no doubt that ptarmigan are 
capable of undertaking long flights, for they traverse considerable 
distances when crossing from one hill to another in the north of Scotland. 
Breeding habits . — Like the red grouse, the ptarmigan is monogamous, 
and it resembles that species in most of its breeding -habits. In the 
pairing-season, however, which commences in April, the birds are said to 
resort in small flocks to favourite cour ting-grounds, like the polygamous 
black grouse and capercaillie. Unlike those birds, the same spots do 
not seem to be used year after year, and vary much in the character 
of their surroundings, being sometimes a bare flat amongst granite 
slabs at the top of the mountain, at other times a sheltered nook among 
the rocks, interspersed with the various Alpine plants on which the birds 
feed. I have never personally observed this habit of the ptarmigan as 
described by Mr J. G. Millais, and several reliable stalkers and keepers 
who have been questioned on the subject have no knowledge of it. 
Mr Millais writes : “ To these recognized places of meeting a covey 
repairs at daybreak, the cocks separating, and each taking up his 
position at some distance apart from the other. They then commence 
their croaking a-r-r-r to attract the notice of the hens, who reply at once 
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