Grouse

Grouse, a book name for birds of the subfamily Tetraonidee, from the northern parts of both hemispheres, distinguished from their allies the partridges in having the legs and toes feathered and the nostrils covered by a soft feathered skin. The males of some American species have a large dilatable sac on each side of the neck, by means of which the love calls are produced in the breeding season, while in other forms the same purpose is attained by the "drumming" made by the rapid motion of-the wings. Of the type genus Tetrao, two species are British; the Blackcock and the Capercailzie (both which see). The grouse of British sportsmen - the Red Grouse of naturalists (Lagopus scoticus), of the same genus as the Ptarmigan (q.v.), is a native of the moors of the north of England and the lowlands of Scotland, but is less common in Ireland. The adult male bird is about sixteen inches in length and the female somewhat smaller. The plumage, consisting of shades of brown, with white and black markings, is eminently protective, and varies considerably according to the nature of the country which the birds frequent. They are generally ground birds, but instances of perching in trees are on record (Field, December 17, 1892). They feed on berries and seeds, heather tips, leaves, and the like. The nest is a slight structure, and usually contains from eight to ten yellowish eggs with reddish-brown markings.

Grouse shooting in Britain commences on August 12, and closes on December 11. The grousedisease has been attributed in turn to over-preservation, to the destruction of raptorial birds on the moors to such an extent that sickly game-birds survive and spread infection, and to the presence of a small nematoid worm akin to, if not identical with, that which causes gapes in chicken. The Willow Grouse (L. albus), common over the north of Europe, resembles the Ptarmigan in plumage, and, like that species, becomes white in winter. The Ruffed Grouse constitute the genus Bonasia in which the lower part of the legs is destitute of feathers and the plumage on each side of the neck erectile. Beside B. umbellns, which runs into several varieties, the chief American forms are the Sharp-tailed Grouse (Pedicecetes phasianellus), with white, black, and brownish-yellow plumage, harmonising with the colour of the soil; the Prairie Hen, Prairie Chicken, or Pinnated Grouse (Cupidonia cupido), with two erectile tufts in the nape, and a dilatable air-bladder in shape and colour like a small orange on each side of the neck; and the Cock of the Plains or Sage Cock (Centrocercus urophasianns), a fine bird, but with flesh of very bitter flavour, owing its habit of feeding on the wild sage of the western plains. [Sand Grouse.]