TETRAONIN^.. LAGOPUS. 
243 
however, is now seldom the case, several families unite into 
packs in the end of autumn, and continue together until the 
middle of spring, when they separate and pair. The male re- 
mains with the female until the young are able to shift for 
themselves. The nest is generally a slight hollow, with some 
twigs and straws, among the heath or herbage of the moors. 
The eggs, from eight to twelve, are of a regular oval form, an 
inch and seven-twelfths long, an inch and three-twelfths across, 
yellowish-white, pale yellowish-grey, or brownish-yellow, 
thickly clouded, blotched, and dotted v/ith blackish, umber, 
or reddish-brown. The young leave the nest soon after they 
are hatched, and are led about by their parents, who manifest 
great anxiety in their behalf. The ordinary food of this spe- 
cies consists of the tender twigs and leaves of Erica cinerea 
and Calluna vulgaris, as well as of Vaccinium Yitis idsea, and 
other small shrubs, together with herbaceous plants and ber- 
ries, along with which they swallow particles of quartz. Its 
flight is direct, heavy, but on occasion rapid ; it runs with 
great celerity, conceals itself by squatting, and is not readily 
raised. The male emits a loud chuckling cry, resembling the 
syllables cock-cock, several times repeated. The flesh of this 
species being very highly esteemed, great havoc is committed 
among it ; but, as the shooting-season is limited by law, and 
the birds carefully preserved during the rest of the year, it 
still continues abundant. This bird being, in so far as is 
known, peculiar to the British Isles, it has been proposed, I 
think by Mr Neville W ood, to name it accordingly. This 
circumstance, however, would not of itself justify the proposed 
adoption of the specific epithet Britannicus for Scoticusy by 
which it has hitherto been distinguished, were it not that our 
other species appears to be absolutely confined to Scotland, 
and therefore peculiarly to merit the epithet Scoticus.^ Should 
I succeed in proving this to be the case, I would then propose 
naming our common Red Grouse Lagopus Britannicus, the 
British Ptarmigan ; and our common Ptarmigan Lagopus Sco~ 
ticus, the Scottish Ptarmigan. 
Red Game. Red Grouse. Red Ptarmigan. Muir-fowl. 
Moor-fowl. Moor-cock and hen. Gor-cock. 
Tetrao Scoticus, Lath. Ind. Ornith. ii. 641. — Tetrao Scoti- 
cus, Temm. Man. d^Ornith. ii, 450. — Lagopus Scoticus, Brown 
Ptarmigan, or Red Grouse, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, i. 169. 
159. Lagopus cinereus. Grey Ptarmigan. 
Male in winter white,, with a black band from the bill to 
