country and south country moors. In Yorkshire by the end of April many birds have begun to sit, while in central Scotland from April 25th to May 20th would probably cover the dates by which the full clutches are complete on most moors. The intervals between the laying of each egg vary enormously in captivity, probably also in nature, depending upon the weather; for Intervals
of laying. example, at the Committee's observation area in Surrey it was noted of laying that one hen took twenty-nine days to lay ten eggs — an average of one egg every three days; another laid only four eggs in twenty-six days, or an average of one egg every six and a half days. The clutch averages from seven to ten, and rarely reaches twelve.
Macdonald states that the hen lays eight to fourteen or sixteen eggs,[1] while Macpherson gives seven and eight as the most usual number of eggs, and states that Number
of eggs. "more than ten is quite exceptional."[2] Seebohm, who speaks with authority on all questions of British oology, states that the number of eggs laid would seem " to vary with the propitiousness or otherwise of the season. In very wet and cold springs the smallest clutches contain four or five, and the largest eight or nine; whilst in very favourable seasons the small clutches are six or seven, and the larger ones from ten to twelve, or even fifteen and seventeen; but in the latter cases it is probable that the eggs may not all be the produce of one bird. In an average year most nests will contain seven or eight eggs. Birds which breed late on the high grounds do not seem to lay fewer eggs than those which breed early in the more sheltered situations."[3] A correspondent of the Committee in Forfarshire has reported a case of two Grouse hens sitting side by side — each on six eggs in a double nest; and the field observer has seen two hens sitting on one nest with twelve eggs.
For the following descriptive notes on the eggs of the Red Grouse in his "Birds of Europe," Dresser states that he is indebted to Seebohm: "The ground colour The eggs.of the eggs of the Grouse is usually a pale olive, spotted and blotched all over with dark red-brown. The spots are frequently so confluent as almost entirely to conceal the ground colour. In fresh-laid eggs the brown is often very red, in some instances almost approaching crimson. It appears to darken as it thoroughly dries, and sometimes almost approaches black. When fresh laid the colour is not very fast, and before the eggs are hatched the beauty of the original colouring is generally very much lessened by large spots
- ↑ Macdonald, "Grouse Disease," p. 99.
- ↑ Fur and Feather Series, "The Grouse," p. 22
- ↑ Seebohm, "British Birds," vol. ii. p. 430. London: R. H. Porter, 1885.
