The RED GROUSE, BROWN PTARMIGAN, or GAR COCK (_Lagopus Scoticus_), closely
resembles the above bird in its general appearance during the summer, but
is without the white feathers in the wings, and has the feet covered with
plumage of a greyish hue, spotted with brown. The feathers on the head
and nape are light reddish brown, spotted with black; those on the back
and wing-covers are spotted in the centre with black; the throat-feathers
are red, those on the back and belly dark purplish brown, with numerous
markings; the quills are dark brown, and the quill-feathers, except the
four in its centre (which are striped red and black) are entirely black;
the plumage on the legs has a reddish shade and dark markings; the tarsi
and toes are covered with whitish feathers. The eye is nut-brown, the
beak black, and the powerful claws of a whitish hue. The female is darker
than her mate, has white spots on her breast and belly, and some of her
wing-feathers tipped with white. This species is fifteen inches long and
twenty-six broad; the female is not quite so long.
The Red Grouse is peculiar to Great Britain and Ireland, not having
been found in any other part of the world, and is especially abundant
in Scotland, inhabiting heathy tracts from the sea-level to a height
of 2,000 feet, particularly in the moist peat tracts of the western and
northern districts.
"It is pleasant," says Macgillivray, "to hear the bold challenge of the
Gar Cock at early dawn on the wild moor, remote from human habitation.
I remember with delight the cheering influence of its cry on a cold
morning in September, when, wet to the knees and with a sprained ankle,
I had passed the night in a peat-bog in the midst of the Grampians,
between the sources of the Tummel and the Dee." After expatiating on his
misadventures and the reflections to which they gave rise, he continues,
"However, morning came at last, and I started up to renew my journey. It
was now that I got a view of my lodging, which was an amphitheatre formed
of bare craggy hills, covered with fragments of stone and white moss,
and separated by patches of peat-bog. Not a house was to be seen, nor a
sheep, or so much as a blade of green grass. Not a vestige of life can be
found here, thought I; but I was reproved by a cry which startled me. The
scarlet crest and bright eye of a Moor Cock were suddenly protruded from a
tuft of heather, and I heard with delight the well-known 'kok, kok' of the
'blessed bird,' as the Highlanders call him."
[Illustration: THE ALPINE PTARMIGAN (_Lagopus Alpinus_), IN WINTER
PLUMAGE. ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE.]
"The Brown Ptarmigan," continues our author, "feeds for the most part
upon the tops of heath (_Calluna vulgaris_ and _Erica cinerea_), and also
picks the leaves and tender twigs of _Vaccinium myrtillus_ and _Empetrum
nigrum_, with the young heads of _Eriophorum vaginatum_, shoots of _Galium
saxatile_, _Carices_, grasses, willows, and other plants. It is also
said to eat the berries of _Empetrum nigrum, accinium myrtillus_, and
_Vaccinium vitisidæa_. In two instances I have found its crop filled with
oat-seeds, to which it is said to be very partial, although it rarely
ventures upon cultivated land. While feeding, it walks among the heath,
selecting the fresh tips of the twigs, which it breaks off nearly of the
same size, the largest pieces not exceeding half an inch in length. Along
with these substances, fragments of white quartz, from one-twelfth to
two-twelfths of an inch in diameter, are found in the crop and gizzard,
being introduced for the purpose of aiding the action of the latter in
comminuting the food. When the Brown Ptarmigans have filled their crops
they repose among the heath or bask under a sunny bank, under the shelter
of the shrubs or tufts of herbage. On ordinary occasions this species does
not fly much, but keeps concealed among the heath, seldom choosing to
rise, unless its enemy comes very near. On the approach of danger it lies
close to the ground, when, being of a colour not contrasting strongly with
that of the plants around, it is with difficulty perceived by rapacious
birds." When traced by a dog, it either runs to some distance or squats
at once, and often remains thus concealed for a long time, or again runs
and squats. "I have seen them," continues Macgillivray, "run in this
manner for four or five hundred yards before they were put up. On such
occasions the male is generally the first to rise. He erects himself among
the heath, stretches out his neck, utters a loud cackle, and flies off,
followed by the female and young, affording by their straightforward,
heavy, though strong flight an easy mark to a good shot."
The Red Grouse flies low, heavily, and in a direct course, moving its
wings rapidly, sometimes, especially when at full speed, with a whirring
sound, and then descending with almost motionless pinions.
"If disturbed when feeding," says Macgillivray, "the male often boldly
starts up and utters a loud cackle, which may be imitated by quickly
repeating the syllable 'kok' with a deep voice. In spring and summer they
are often heard uttering the same sound without being disturbed, either
as a call of defiance to their fellows, or as a warning or protection
to their mates and young. Early in the morning as well as late in the
evening, but occasionally through the day, you may hear on the moors
a loud cry, which is easily syllabled into 'Go, go, go, go, go-back,
go-back;' although the Celts, naturally imagining the Moor Cock to
speak Gaelic, interpret it as signifying, 'Co, co, co, co, mo-claidh,
mo-claidh'--that is, 'Who, who (goes there?) my sword! my sword!'" These
birds pair early in spring. The nest is made in a hollow of the ground
among the heath, and is irregularly formed of bits of twigs, grass, and
a few feathers; the eggs, from eight to twelve in number, are oval, and
of a yellowish white, yellowish grey, or brownish yellow colour, clouded,
blotched, and dotted with blackish and amber brown. The young leave the
nest soon after they are hatched, and are tended by both parents, the
mother showing much anxiety for her progeny, and endeavouring by affecting
lameness to lure any intruder from them. The young are soon able to fly,
and all keep together till the end of autumn, when several flocks unite
and form a pack, continuing together till spring arrives, when they
separate and pair. In the more remote parts of Scotland the Red Grouse is
considered a bird of good omen. By its crowing at dawn, the evil spirits
of night are thought to be put to flight, or deprived of their power. The
flesh of the Red Grouse is dark, and has a peculiar, bitter flavour, but
is held in high estimation.
* * * * *
The PARTRIDGES (_Perdices_), one of the most numerous groups of the
order, are comparatively slenderly built birds, with small heads and
unfeathered tarsi. The wings, in which the third or fourth quill exceeds
the rest in length, are relatively quite as short and rounded, but not
so much arched as those of the _Tetraones_. The tail, composed of from
twelve to sixteen feathers, is always short. The somewhat elongated beak
is but slightly raised at its culmen, and compressed at its sides. The
tarsus is frequently furnished with one, or occasionally with two spurs.
The members of this group are without the warty skin above the eyes
possessed by the birds above described; in some species, however, bare
patches are observable on those parts, and on the throat. The plumage is
smooth, and very similarly coloured in both sexes. These birds inhabit
all portions of the eastern hemisphere, except its extreme north, and
frequent every variety of locality from the coast to a very considerable
height on mountain ranges. Some species prefer cultivated lands, while
others are found in forests where they may occasionally be seen perched
on the branches of trees. Their food consists of insects, grain, and
portions of plants. The nest is a mere hole scratched in the dry mould,
generally under the shelter of some bush or tuft of grass. The eggs, from
twelve to twenty in number, are hatched in three weeks time; the female
sits exceedingly close on her nest during this period, especially during
the latter part of incubation, and offers a bold resistance to any enemy
seeking to plunder her; but if quietly approached, both she and her eggs
may be gently removed, and she will hatch them in confinement, departing
with her young to the fields as soon as the latter are able to accompany
her. The male takes no part in the labour of incubation, but like all
birds that pair, he is attentive to his mate, assists her in defending
the brood, and uses many arts to lure intruders from the nest. The young
are reared on small insects, larvæ, and the eggs of insects; the parents
leading them to the places where these are deposited, and scraping away
the mould. Multitudes of ants and larvæ are eaten by young Partridges.
* * * * *
The SNOW PARTRIDGES (_Tetraogallus_) may be regarded as combining the
characteristics of both the Ptarmigans and Partridges. Their body is
compactly framed, their neck short, the head small, the wing of moderate
size, and slightly pointed at the extremity, its second and third quills
being longer than the rest. The gently-rounded tail is of medium length;
the beak long, broad, and powerful, and the heavy short foot furnished
with a blunt spur. The thick plumage is much developed on the tail-covers;
a small patch behind the eye is unfeathered.