130 HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS 



to Sweden to fetch the birds, is printed verbatim in 

 Blaine's " Rural Sports." 



There can be no doubt that in ancient times this 

 bird existed in England in the great pine-woods, and 

 was killed and eaten by the cave-dwellers. Bones 

 have been found at Teesdale, in caves of mountain 

 limestone, and among Roman remains at Settle ; 

 moreover, it must have survived in England within 

 historic times, for the Britons had a name for it, 

 Ceiliog coed, cock of the wood, and it appears by 

 old grants (circa 1343-1361) that land was then 

 held in the county of Durham by the tenure inter 

 alia of paying yearly one wood-hen, gallina sylva- 

 tica (Zool, 1879, p. 468 ; Scot. Nat, 1880). Lord 

 Ravensworth attempted to reintroduce it into Nor- 

 thumberland at Eslington [Nat. Hist. Trans. Nor- 

 thumh., vol. V. p. 334), and a similar experiment was 

 made by Sir H. Graham at Netherby (Macpherson, 

 *' Birds of Cumberland," p. 126). 



With regard to Ireland, Rutty, writing in 1772 

 (" Nat. Hist. Co. Dublin," i. p. 302), and referring 

 to the cock of the wood described by Pennant, 

 says : " One of these was seen in the county of 

 Leitrim about the year 1710 ; but they have entirely 

 disappeared by reason of the destruction of our 

 woods." According to Pennant, however, a few 

 were to be found about Thomastown in Tipperary 

 about 1760 ; so that the ancient race seems to have 

 become extinct in Ireland and Scotland about the 

 same time. 



Hybrids between Capercaillie and Blackgame are 



