2 26 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



kke those of a young lamb or kid, like the syllables " vvaa, waa, 

 waa," each syllable uttered slowly and distinctly at first, and 

 more rapidly as the bird is hard pressed or about to take 

 wing. . . . 



" In spring, as the snow begins to melt on the higher parts 

 of the hill, they leave entirely their winter resorts, and gradually 

 separate and spread themselves through the more remote and 

 distant woods, up to the region of birch and white rhododen- 

 dron, and almost up to the extreme limits of forest. 



" Early in April they begin to pair ; and the males are then 

 more generally met with than at any other period ; they seem 

 to wander about a great deal, are almost always found alone, 

 and often call at intervals all day long. When thus calHng, 

 the bird is generally perched on the thick branch of a tree, or 

 the trunk of one which has fallen to the ground, or on a large 

 stone. The call is similar to the one they utter when dis- 

 turbed, but is much louder, and only one single note at a time, 

 a loud energetic "waa," not unlike the bleating of a lost goat, 

 and may be heard for upwards of a mile. It is uttered at 

 various intervals, sometimes at every five or ten minutes for 

 hours together, and sometimes not more than two or three 

 times during the day, and most probably to invite the females 

 to the spot. 



"When the business of incubation is over, each brood, with 

 the parent birds, keep collected together about one spot, and 

 descend towards their winter resorts as the season advances ; 

 but the forests are so densely crowded with long weeds and grass, 

 that they are seldom seen till about November, when the vegeta- 

 tion has partially decayed and admits of a view through the wood. 



" They feed chiefly on the leaves of trees and shrubs : of the 

 former, the box and oak are the principal ones ; of the latter, 

 ringal and a shrub something like privet. They also eat roots, 

 flowers, grubs and insects, acorns and seeds, and berries of 

 various kinds, but in a small proportion compared with leaves. 

 In confinement they will eat almost any kind of grain. 



