114 Practicai, Bird-Keeping. 



the birds were going on, but the screen must be a good one, 

 and one must never be detected in it, or when leaving. In time 

 Capercaillies will tame, and are always most interesting; but a 

 particularly fine old cock was here almost three years before he 

 would come out into the open to feed in our presence. It was 

 a fine sight then to see him in the spring slowly walking round 

 his hens, at feeding time, with tail spread and wings lowered 

 and neck-frill standing out stiff. My Capercaillies and Black- 

 cocks called freely in the spring, but I never saw anything that 

 might be called a " Lek " in any special place ; perhaps because 

 the birds were pinioned and the number of hen birds small. 

 Although my enclosure is roomy (nearly four acres) I could not 

 keep more than one, or at the most two, Capercaillie cocks, 

 owing to their pugnacity. Blackgame are not quite so shy and 

 do not require so much space. But neither will they live long 

 in such runs as suit ordinary pheasants well. I recollect the 

 late Lord Lilford telling me that, with all his experience, he 

 had never been able to keep Capercaillies, and that only in one 

 year did his Blackgame really thrive, and that was when they 

 had the run of a large walled-in kitchen garden. This suited the 

 birds admirably, but their ravages among the strawberries and 

 green vegetables were so serious that the experiment could not 

 be repeated. 



All Game-birds that I have kept, including Grouse, have 

 taken readily to Mangel-Wurzel roots, and during the winter and 

 early spring months they are a most valuable food. But in 

 frosty weather they must not be left out at night, or must be 

 rolled under some dense bush, so that they do not get frozen. 

 Coarse and fine grit and plenty of water are necessities to all 

 Game-birds. In my enclosure there happens to be a clear 

 running stream, which of course is a great advantage as it 

 prevents the possibility of soiled drinking pans. Capercaillies 

 and Blackgame feel the heat of summer, as might be expected, 

 and must have plenty of shade. My Blackgame roosted in long 

 grass near the stream, but the Capercaillies perch. Being heavy 

 birds, when pinioned they are apt to injure themselves if dis- 

 turbed from their roosting-places or while coming down in the 

 mornings. It is advisable, therefore, to take off the lower 



