Northern Observations of Inland Birds 129 



the pines at speed, heading straight across the glen. As 

 already stated, however, a large number of birds refuse 

 to be flushed, and one passes them by unaware of their 

 presence. 



When boys we used to shoot the cock capercaillie 

 with air rifles or -22 cartridge rifles, and in this way we 

 obtained very excellent sport. The method was to 

 creep on all fours through the thickets and stalk the 

 birds on the ground much as one stalks a deer. It is a 

 curious fact that the capercaillie does not seem able to 

 recognize a human being as such so long as the said 

 human remains on all fours, but immediately one stands 

 upright the bird is up and away in a moment. I have 

 stalked to within quite a few feet of a watchful caper, a 

 juvenile companion at my heels, both of us convulsed 

 with laughter as we fired shot after shot from our air- 

 rifles at the much-mystified monster. 



An air- rifle is a very deadly weapon where these birds 

 are concerned, and in one part of Scotland it w^as a regular 

 evening amusement among the party I was visiting to 

 go off in a boat at sundown and row quietly under the 

 pines that overhung the loch. The capers, feeding in 

 the branches above, seemed quite incapable of realizing 

 that there was any possibility of danger from the 

 direction of the open water, and would continue to feed 

 till we were within range. Even then the report of the 

 air- rifle did not always alarm them, and I have more than 

 once picked off two birds or more from the same tree. 

 They were in that locality exceedingly abundant, and 

 there was a great preponderance of cocks. 



There are many keepers who at any season never refrain 

 from shooting a cock caper or a cock blackgame, for as 

 a rule there are far too many male birds for the hen 

 population, and being so extremely polygamous they are 

 a great hindrance to the hens during the nesting season, 



I 



