Identifier: gamebirdsshooti00mill (find matches)
Title: Game birds and shooting-sketches : illustrating the habits, modes of capture, stages of plumage and the hybirds & varieties which occur amongst them
Year: 1894 (1890s)
Authors: Millais, John Guille, 1865-1931
Subjects: Grouse Game and game-birds Hunting
Publisher: London : H. Sotheran
Contributing Library: University of British Columbia Library
Digitizing Sponsor: University of British Columbia Library

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
off the rock and commences the love-chase. Ptarmigan do not fight nearly so much as Grouse oreven Partridges, but a cock whose reiterated calls havereceived no response from the fair sex, often leaves hispost and proceeds in search of a mate, of course having totrespass on the grounds of one of his adjacent rivals to doso. This is naturally resented at once by the rightfulproprietor and a fight ensues, the various phases of whichare similar to Grouse combats in their character. Asoften as not, the intruder gets the best of it, in whichcase the hen manifests no uneasiness as to her change ofmasters, and rather enjoys the fight while it lasts, runninground and round the combatants uttering her onequerulous cry. The pairing-season being over by the middle of May,the hen selects her nesting-place, which is jealouslyguarded by the male. Whilst camping in Iceland in 1889, I spent threemonths in the Myvatn district, which is by far thewildest and grandest part of that otherwise uninteresting
Text Appearing After Image:
A HIGHLAND PASTORAL. PTAliMKiAX 167 islaixl of trackless lava-beds and hot springs; there I hadani()le ()()portunities of studying the habits of thePtarmigan. They are there in certain localities, notablyround the Fly Lake, quite as numerous as Grouse areon a \vell-stO(ked moor; broods could be seen every fewminutes, running out of l\\(t way of the ponies, and whenfull-grown would rise singly from beneath the feet of theperson who disturbed them. At the end of June I oftencame on hens with their young still in down, and on oneapproaching to within a few feet, the old bird gave awarning cry and the wdiole of the youngsters separated atonce and rushed off like so many little mice to hidethemselves under tufts of grass, or, if in the open, tocrouch close to the ground with outstretched neck, inwhich position it is most difficult to distinguish their tinyforms and avoid treading upon them. Even though I satperfectly still amongst the hidden family, it was alwaysten minutes or more before

Note About Images