136 THE CAPERCAILLIE. 



Dalerne about a month ago (his letter is dated IGth March 

 1878) had pine-needles (Pi;i2^ss?//iT5^m), juniper-berries {Juni- 

 perus), and cranberries ( Vaccin. vitis4dcca) in their crops." 



Here is one little gleam of sunshine. They must destroy 

 vast numbers of Tcnthrcdo and Ncmitus larva3, even during 

 the at-prcscnt-supposed short period of their insect-feeding age. 

 But a question of interest is : — How long does this insect- 

 feeding age continue ? And another question of interest 

 is : — How much good do they do in that time against the 

 harm they do at others ? These are questions the solution of 

 which, I tliink, cannot fail to prove of economic interest to 

 proprietors of forests, and wliich, if thoroughly investigated, 

 may more than likely induce many to modify their wholesale 

 condemnation of the Capercaillie. The rook, against which 

 species Acts of the old Scottish Parliament were passed, now 

 increases, and even with many farmers lives upon altogether 

 a different footing than formerly. Many farmers know now 

 that it would be a dangerous experiment to rid the country of 

 rooks altogether. There are two sides to every question, and 

 I have strong faith that if all the good the Capercaillie does 

 were as thorougldy investigated as the evil has been, there 

 would not be quite such a hue and cry against it. 



A correspondent in Perthshire writes as follows :■ — " From 

 the first of November up to the end of May the Capercaillie 

 lives principally on Scotch fir ' sprigs.' Then, from tlie first 

 of June to the end of October, he lives greatly upon insects, 

 digs deep into ants* mounds ^ in search of food, and strips the 

 l)ark off rotten trees in search of worms and beetles." Fancy 

 liundreds, yes and thousands, of Capercadlies thus employed. 

 Do they do no good ? 



I have quoted Mr. Dunn's letter fully, as it is perhaps tlie 

 letter, amongst many others I liave received, wliicli ]ilar(\s t]je 



^ Lloyd directs tliat auts' cg{,'.s be provided for the young binls when 

 rearing them by hand {ojh cit. p. 32). 



