Description Original hand coloured engraving by Beverley Morris for ‘British Game Birds and Wild Fowl’ Depicted with the male in the foreground and the female seated behind, the Black Grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) is a medium-sized member of the grouse family, known for the male’s striking appearance with glossy black plumage, a lyre-shaped tail with outwardly curving feathers, and bright red wattles above the eyes. The female contrasts in her mottled brown plumage, providing effective camouflage in heathland and moorland habitats. Distributed across northern and central Europe and parts of Asia, the species prefers a mosaic of open moor, forest edge, and boggy ground. They feed on shoots, berries, seeds, and buds, and with chicks reliant on insects. Beverley Morris (1816–1883), a British naturalist and writer, was best known as the younger brother of the ornithologist Francis Orpen Morris. While less widely recognised, he nonetheless contributed to nineteenth-century ornithology through his publications. His book British Birds, With Coloured Illustrations (1851) introduced readers to species identification, habits, and distribution in an accessible form. Building upon this, his principal work, British Game Birds and Wild Fowl (1855), issued in quarto format, combined descriptive text with hand-coloured engraved plates executed by Benjamin Fawcett, one of the foremost colour printers of the Victorian period. This work concentrated on species of sporting and economic interest to mid-nineteenth-century readers, covering both game birds such as grouse and partridge, and wildfowl including ducks and geese. Beyond his ornithological writings, Morris also explored butterflies and moths, reflecting a broader passion for natural history during a time of expanding public interest. Throughout his work, he combined reliable field observation and clear description, targeting both the scientific community and general readers. Size (cms): 23(H) x 28(W) Size (inches): 9(H) x 11(W)
