THE BLACK GROUSE 213 
over himself which is often dangerous; for the sportsman, well 
acquainted with the sound, is thus guided to his perch, and, shy 
though the bird is at other times, is able to get near him unper- 
ceived or unheeded, and summarily closes his performances. The 
Capercaillie hen makes her nest upon the ground, and lays from 
six to twelve eggs. She is said to sit for four weeks. The young 
keep with her until towards the approach of winter. The size of the 
full-grown bird varies considerably according to the latitude in 
which it is found. In Lapland the male weighs about nine or ten 
pounds, but in the southern provinces of Sweden as much as seven- 
teen pounds. The hen usually weighs from five to six pounds. 
THE BLACK GROUSE 
TETRAO TETRIX 
Throat-feathers not elongated; plumage black with violet reflections; a 
broad white band on the wings ; secondaries tipped with white ; lower tail- 
coverts white ; tail much forked, the outer feathers curved outwards. 
Eyebrows naked, vermilion; beneath the eye a white spot. Length 
twenty-three inches. Female—smaller; head and neck rust-red barred 
with black; rump and tail-feathers black barred with red ; belly dusky 
brown with red and whitish bars ; tail slightly forked. Eggs dull yellow 
spotted and speckled with reddish brown. 
Tue Black Grouse is a native of the northern countries of Europe 
and of the mountainous districts of the central part of the Continent. 
In the south it is unknown. Of a hardier nature than the Pheasant, 
and less fastidious in its dietary, it braves the most inclement 
seasons, and is never stinted in its supply of food. Moreover, as it 
rarely wanders far from its heath-clad home, it would probably, 
if it enjoyed the privilege of insignificance, be abundant in all the 
extensive waste lands of Britain. But its large size, the excellent 
flavour of its flesh, and the excitement of the sport which it affords 
all tend to keep down its numbers, so that a moor well stocked with 
Black Grouse is a possession not to be thought lightly of by the 
highest and wealthiest. The male bird is, in sporting phraseology, 
a Black Cock, the female a Grey Hen; and it is the etiquette of the 
field to shoot Cocks only, the Hens being left for breeding. The 
Black Cock resembles, in one of its most striking peculiarities, its 
near relative, the Capercaillie. ‘During the spring’, says Mr. St. — 
John, ‘and also in the autumn, about the time the first hoar frosts 
are felt, I have often watched the Black Cocks in the early morning 
when they collect on some rock or height, and strut and crow with 
their curious note, not unlike that of a Wood Pigeon. On these 
occasions they often have most desperate battles. I have seen five 
or six Black Cocks all fighting at once; and so violent and eager 
were they, that I approached within a few yards before they rose. 
Usually there seems to be a master-bird in these assemblages, who 
