212 THE CAPERCAILLIE 
ORDER GALLINE 
FAMILY TETRAONIDZE 
THE CAPERCAILLIE 
TETRAO UROGALLUS 
Feathers of the throat elongated, black; head and neck dusky; eyes witha 
bare red skin above and a white spot below; wings brown speckled with 
black; breast lustrous green; abdomen black with white spots; rump 
and flanks marked with undulating lines of black and ash colour; tail 
black with white spots; beak horn white; eyebrows naked, red, be- 
neath the eye a white spot. Length thirty-six inches. Female—a 
third smaller, barred and spotted with tawny red, black, and white; 
throat tawny red, unspotted ; breast deep red ; tail dark red with black 
bars, white at the tip; bill dusky. Eggs dull yellowish white speckled 
with yellowish brown. 
THE Capercaillie, Wood Grouse, or Cock of the Woods, was a rare 
bird in Scotland in Pennant’s time (1769), and was found only in 
the Highlands north of Inverness. It became extinct in the eigh- 
teenth century, but was re-introduced in 1837 in Scotland, and it 
is now common in firwoods there, especially in Perthshire. In the 
pine forests of Sweden and Norway it is still indigenous, but, being 
a large and beautiful bird, is much sought after, and is annually 
receding from the haunts of men. It is also found in some of the 
central countries of Europe, as Poland and the Jura mountains, 
where it is said to be rather common. It is not only an inhabitant 
of woods, but passes its time for the most part in trees, and feeds 
in great measure on the young shoots of the Scotch fir. In summer 
it adds to its dietary berries, seeds, and insects, for which it searches 
among bushes or on the ground, returning to the woods to roost. 
The male bird has obtained great celebrity for his marvellous per- 
formances when serenading the hens during the morning and even- 
ing twilight in spring. ‘‘ During his play, the neck of the Caper- 
caillie is stretched out, his tail is raised and spread like a fan, his 
wings droop, his feathers are ruffled up, and, in short, he much 
resembles in appearance an angry Turkey Cock. He begins his 
play with a call something resembling the words feller, feller, 
peller ; these sounds he repeats at first at some little intervals, but, 
as he proceeds, they increase in rapidity, until, at last, and after 
perhaps the lapse of a moment or so, he makes a sort of gulp in 
his throat, and finishes by drawing in his breath. During the con- 
tinuance of this latter process, which only lasts a few seconds, the 
head of the Capercaillie is thrown up, his eyes are partially closed, 
and his whole appearance would denote that he is worked up into 
an agony of passion.” This performance, however attractive it may 
pe to those for whose benefit it is intended, exercises a fascination 
