There is without doubt a general broad resemblance, firstly between the cock and the hen Grouse when the former is in its "winter plumage" and the latter in its "autumn plumage"; and, secondly, between the cock and the hen Grouse when the former is in its "autumn plumage" and the latter in its "spring plumage."
The perplexing fact is that these general resemblances are not synchronous Cock and
hen moult
at different
seasons. in the two sexes, a peculiarity first observed by Mr Ogilvie-Grant, for as already pointed out, there is an interval of two months between the moult of the cock and hen.
Again, it might reasonably be expected that, as the Ptarmigan and the Scandinavian Willow Grouse have not two plumages in the year, but three, some suggestion of the third plumage might be forthcoming in the Red Grouse. But the Red Grouse has only two moults. Mr Ogilvie-Grant, however, explains the position by saying that the buff and black plumage of the hen Grouse answers to the spring plumage of the hen Ptarmigan, while the buff and black plumage of the cock Grouse answers to the autumn plumage of the cock Ptarmigan. The grounds for this opinion will be considered later in the light of the possible effect which continued disease may have in permanently altering the season of the moult.
Beginning now with the cock Red Grouse in January, and taking its Cock
Grouse in
January appearance from the ventral aspect first, the uniformity of the series Grouse in is a Very conspicuous feature. Every healthy bird is chestnut or rufous-chestnut and black, with fine, almost vermiculate black cross-lines over it.
Even in the blackest birds the throat and fore-neck are always of a rich copper-red colour, with very little or no black edging at the borders of the feathers, which are usually barred with black only on the actual chin. Here there may be also more or less of white tippings, even to the formation of two white moustachios leading downwards from the gape, sometimes an inch in length. This may be a feature either of the black type or of the red[1] (PI. ii. and iii.). In some very red and black Red Grouse the abdominal feathers are also freely and broadly tipped with white; and this may sometimes be seen even on the feathers of the upper parts (PI. iv.) The legs and feet are thickly feathered, and are white, or white with brownish barring. The
- ↑ The whole chapter deals with the Red Grouse (Lagopus scoticus Lath.). The terms "blak Red Grouse" and "buff-spotted or white-spotted Red Grouse" must not be confused with similar terms for other species of Grouse.
