winter plumage, is an-adffitionaf^cgtection against rapacious
animals,^by re^derin^itfdiflicult*to »distinguish th em |fiu ^* th e |
snovs?I#^l^|which^ thdf are*. Sjggrqunde d i | II. Tetrao, which %
distribj^pd # n r ah e rnimm-Aemnerate .cljjnat.c s y he , lpgs being
Isjill feathered ipwn ta th ^ ^ p s . Ill.ySaraasifl a new division,
of-'whichtwe'proposp» ^etraoJWnasi^ L. as thg type, in w h i^ p i^ y
■Vhp upper portiomMahe-tarsus { f a th e r e d . Th§se (^casiQjplly
desc!en^fetilkfart]^er(:&toffi .than-^he others, inhabiting .^ood’ed
plains as|ffrell «as* mounl^ilbus'regions, to which-., those of the.
second p t^ o n ^ | ^ o M^ ^ r ticularlyTattached. But the entire,
genus is jj^clusiyely bor4aJf hieing only found in E u r o l and the
northern countries of-» America^ind Asia-.' ^J^^Slong and sharp-
winged Gr%i1||.4r Ptksocles of Temaninck, which ydgrl^ent, -pnj
rather- re p in e jh e s e birdjyin, arid andg&^dy counties of'
Africa and S j a ,^ a single spgcies inhabiting »also th^.southern
ex-tpemity of Imrope, -we' consider, in
a u th o r^ as a totally distinct|l&jms, That group, conAoscd vof
but few spe"cies>.-*§ort to th® most deseihreglons, prefe^ingfdry.
and burning wastes'to-. the coolAshelteBEof .the woods. ^ fh c s e
fcepaaas, as they miam^be termed; of?sandfhcLtep-ifij®to the||„ye
and the um’agination of the human traveller^|theyJboldlj^ventare,
to cro^s imTarge c om p a ss , in search of A e fluid.so indispensable
to life, but »then# so s c a ^ S and only;.4ound in ccrtaji\ spots.-
Over the intervening spaceSthey pas^witl^extradrdinary rapidity,
and a t a-great elevatidn» being the onlfeygalltnaceous birds furnished
with wings-of the form requir^d&fdr sjieJh flights. This hpwever
is not- the onlypeculiarityin which they aberrate from the, rest
of their order* and approach the Pigepnlh, feeing said to lay but few
eggs, .the- young remaining in the nesfeumil they, are full-fledged»,
andfed in the mejin time by the pareirf|.^L
Thef Grouse dwell in forests, esp|mally such as„ are s,deep,
and situated ip mountainous districts; the Bonasiee howe\^|* and
ph® Tetrao cwp^o^freqaienting' plains where grow trees of various
kinds. The t&dspùodes oft^he Arctic regions; or-rtarmigans, arp
also-found on,„fehe very -jelwatedy .mountains ■ of central Europe»
where the*.têmperature iJhorresponf^feHo. that-bf more northern
latitudes. Here. ; they keep amongYtfe tufts of d-slkrf willows,
which with.pines», form the principal .fegetatidn of thç&e Rimâtes.
The,,Grouse »feed almost "exclusrâfcly on Jelaves-, budsyberries, and
e-s^emaMy the ybfung sKepfs^of Ipes^l-fpinesf spruce »or birch,
reputing to i seeds only yvben compelled ^by se^foity 'of other
foods', or w]|gn thçir usual means of* subsistence tfafp1 buried
beneath Ihe srfow: ;; They, sometimes, whspecfially # |ten young,
nick up ^ .fev?nj^^ts, and worms, and are f ^ a d ,^ ' ants’ eggs.
4-ike other gallinaceous birds, they age cônstanfclyÆ^ph^d in
ScrafGhpig the earth, ar^fond of cbjsèpnig théjafsel^i-?wjth dust,
and swallow snmU, pebblbs and gravel,’to-*àssfet ^ .jtjiêst.ion. 1ST <5
j b i r d s decidex^^aiîcl tyrannically polygamous.. As soon
as the females ape, fecundated, the male d&airts them, paring
n<^firtlfcr ahliit them r o their- pkpgpnÿf »tot Ipad avsphtary life.
|É<i^Pp.erfidious s^dycersjthey are full of attention's hôwiever, and
display the greatest anxiety“ to $lk#re th^pps^fesSipn of, those
jffiFey*are afterwards ^«^ceadw to.^andon'ffi^Tlip puptial s§$s0dn
cpmmehces^whendhteleayes appear in- spring; The males
thenfapDear. aune Wt^cicated wlm^passion : thèy ; se,ènf .Pother
ok th l ggoundljm# on t.btéa|.faliiol-feuuk s o/ f tfteès,;f with ,a proud
dej^rfflttbnt; s9t inflamed and fiery eye, th e ‘featfâfîfi^f the head
erMt^tjffid^mgl^feôÉped, the tail widely spreadr^parading and
strkttingpbout m all-sorts of extravagant attitudes,;and expressing
ti^if.oMiyuàgs by sounds «6 loud as to be heard at a great distance.
Th%, mason of ardbuf a^l^ahandonment is protracted, fill June.
The deserted female lays, unnoticed by the -male, far apart on
48rglk|Mi.i''among d o n ^ a d thick bushes., from eight to sixteen
pg|s, breeding but one! in a-season; They sit and rear their