154 HILL BIRDS OF SCOTLAND 



of great size and several feet in height — and I have seen 

 these mounds scattered about, in all probability by Caper- 

 caillies. During dry weather the birds are fond of re- 

 sorting to the stalking paths and roads intersecting a 

 forest for the purpose of indulging in dust-baths. On 

 account of their pine diet the flesh of the Capercaillie 

 is bitter and resinous, but young birds of the year are 

 sometimes eaten. 



So early as 1617 the Capercaillie would seem to have 

 been scarce in Scotland. In a letter written by James VI 

 to Lord Tullibardine, the king mentions that " the rarity 

 of these fowles will make their estimation the more pre- 

 tious." 



Outside Scotland the range of the Capercaillie is a 

 wide one. It is numerous in the pine forests of Russia 

 and Germany, where the stalking of the birds during the 

 pairing season provides good sport. In Scandinavia it 

 is found as far north as latitude 70 degrees. Eastward 

 it is met with as far as Lake Baikal. It nests in the 

 Pyrenees, Alps, Carpathians, and the Altai Mountains. 

 In the Ural Mountains an allied form, Tetrus uralensis, 

 takes its place. This sub-species is noticeably paler than 

 our own form. 



Other sub-species are found in North-East Siberia 

 and Kamschatka. 



Description : Male. — Head and neck dark grey, 

 mottled with black. Throat with greenish tinge. Mantle, 

 lower back, and rump black, with white lines appearing 

 at intervals. Inter-scapular region marked with reddish- 

 brown. Wing coverts brown, spotted with black. Quills 

 and primary coverts dark brown. Chest glossy green, 

 merging to black on the breast and abdomen, some of 

 the feathers being white-tipped. Thighs white. Leg 

 feathers dark bro^vn. Tail black, with white band across 

 the terminal half of the feathers. Axillaries and under 



