LAGOPUS.
Tarsus and toes feathered to claws ; no spur on tarsus ; frequent treeless country, mountains, and moors ; feed on seeds, berries and young shoots ; nest a depression ; eggs numerous, pale olivaceous, richly spotted and blotched dark brown.
Lagopus lagopus lagopus (L.). WILLOW GROUSE.
Ger. Weidenschneehuhn ; l)alripa.
j spring. I lead, neck, breast, flanks, and back deep chestnut with black markings on head, and black vermiculations on neck, breast, and back ; some white on rump and upper tail coverts ; wings, central tail feathers, region round eye, and underparts white ; other tail feathers black, white tipped. Bill black. Comb above eye red. Wing d 212-217, ? 185-200. Tarsus 37-40. Bill 14-16. Later in summer white is only on wings and middle of abdomen. ? is duller in colour and without red comb or with only a trace of it. In winter plumage both sexes are entirely white, except tail, which is as in spring, and shafts of primaries, which are mostly black.
Resident.—Norway from Stavanger northwards, C: and N. Sweden, Lapland, Finland, Courland, Russia from Moscow and Ural districts northwards ; also across Siberia.
L. lagopus major Lorenz. Larger than typical form. Wing d 234-243, ? 207-209 (H.).
Resident.—From Orenburg (E. Russia) through the Steppes of Turgai and Akmolinsk to Omsk.
Lagopus scoticus (Latham). RED GROUSE.
Blackish brown vermiculated with chestnut, wings and tail black brown, central tail feathers vermiculated ; white above and below eye ; leg feathering grey brown, becoming dull white towards feet. Comb red. Bill dark horn. Wing d 195-217, 185-203. Tarsus 36-42. Bill 10-13. ? is much the same but yellower. The plumage varies greatly, the above being the commonest. Other plumages are (1) Black with chestnut barring, in some almost black, very slightly barred ; (2) Red, marked with white on underparts and to sonic extent on upper parts ; (3) Spotted ; feathers tipped buff on upper parts and underparts ochreous barred with black and tipped white.
Resident.—Wales, N. England, Scotland, Ireland. Has been introduced into Germany.
Lagopus mutus mutus (Montin). PTARNIIGAN. Fr. Poule de neige ; Ger. Alpenschneeludin ; Ital. Pernice bianca; Swed. Fjallripa.
d summer. General colour of upper parts and chest dark or grey brown and black, either uniform or vermiculated, and more or less mixed with white ; wings, breast, abdomen, and under tail coverts white ; tail, central pair white, remainder black, tipped white. Bill black. Comb red. Wing 187-205, 180-193. Tarsus 33-35. Bill 10-12. 9 Dark brown with ochreous bars, greater wing coverts, quills, and abdomen (more or less) white. In winter, in both sexes plumage is white except shafts of primaries, which are black, and tail, where central pair feathers white, remainder black tipped white. In j lores also are black.
Resident.--Norway north from 58°1at., C. and N. Sweden, Russia from White Sea south to about 61° in Urals.
L. mutus helveticus (Theinemann). Like "mutus" but summer plumage with no white mixing, and general colour more greyish. In winter, like "mutus."
Resident--Alpine regions, Savoy and S. Bavaria to Carinthia.
L. mutus cinereus Macgillivray. In completely moulted summer plumage like "helveticus," with no white spots ; but darker at other seasons than "helveticus," in autumn a clearer grey, and in winter generally not pure white, but mixed with some dark spots.
Resident—Scottish Highlands (including some of Inner Hebrides), seldom nesting below 2000 feet level.
L. mutus pyrenaicus Hartert. in breeding plumage very similar to "cinereus " and "helveticus" but more rusty yellow above and with broader markings. 9 less grey than typical "mutus," and not so orange brown above as 9 "cinereus" and "helveticus." Resident—Pyrenees, above 6000 feet.
L. mutus hyperboreus Sundevall. Larger and with broader bill and longer tail. Wing over 210. Tarsus 35-38.
Resident.—Spitzbergen and Franz Joseph Land.
L. mutus islandorum (Faber). Like Continental forms, but 8 in summer more red brown with stronger bill ; in autumn plumage much browner.
Resident—I celand.
Lrrturtus.
Sexes different ; toes bare ; tail of d deeply forked and side feathers curved, of Y slightly forked ; frequent more wooded districts.
Lyrurus tetrix tetrix (L.). 6 BL,tCxcoCK, 9 GREY HEN. Fr. Coq et poule de bruyil!re ; Ger. Birkhuhn ; Fagiano di monte ; Swed. Orre.
6 Glossy blue black ; secondaries white on basal part and tips ; abdomen black, under tail coverts white, head and back violet tinged ; outer tail feathers curved outwards. Comb red. Bill black. Toes dark brown. \Ving 240-270. Tarsus 45-5o. Bill 17-21. 9 Dark brown, barred with chestnut, tips and bases of secondaries and of some wing coverts white ; beneath greyer on breast. \Ving 215-227. Tarsus 41-45. Bill 14-17.
Resident.—Scandinavia north to about 69°, Russia (except S.E. Steppes), Jutland and Bornholm, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Poland, French Mountains, Alps, I'yrenees, Carpathians, and locally Montenegro, Bosnia, Rumania ; also in N. Siberia.
L. tetrix britannicus \Vitherby and LOnnberg. 6 not distinguishable from typical d. Y more reddish brown than "tetrix," without white on wing coverts, and with much less grey on breast.
Resident.—Great Britain ; rare in S. England, chiefly found N. England and in Scotland (mainland and Inner Hebrides).
L. tetrix viridanus Lorenz. 6 More white in wing than in "tetrix" ; black band being 12.20 m.m. broad as compared with 35-54 m.m. in "tetrix." 9 Generally greyer, and paler rufous than typical 9.
Residenl.—E. Russian Steppes, Saratov to Orenburg, and in \V. Siberia.
Lyrurus mlokosiewiezi (Taczanowski).
Like " tetrix " but in 6 blue gloss has a greener tinge ; no white on wings, under tail coverts black ; outer tail feathers curving outwards and downwards. Bill black. Toes grey brown. \Ving 196-211. Tarsus 50-55. 9 Brown, freckled, not barred, with chestnut. \Ving 195-20o (H.).
Resideni.—Caucasus Mountains, from 500o to g000 feet.