12 PARTIAL MIGKATIONS. 



and Black-Cocks are very small and lean, and such the 

 fowlers call FbiU-Foglar, or migratory hirds. In seasons 

 AA'hen ffame is scarce none of these are to be seen." 



These periodical wanderings of the Capercali are much 

 speculated upon by naturalists and others in Seandinavin, 

 a matter on Avhich I myself am unable to throw any liglit ; 

 for during my sojourn in the northern forests I never 

 I'emember observing- any very sensible increase or diminu- 

 tion in the number of these birds, at least not to any 

 greater extent than might readily be acounted for by good 

 or bad seasons. 



By some their migrations are attributed to extensive 

 fires in the forest, or to great droughts, which drive the 

 birds away from their usual breeding-grounds ; by others, 

 again, to unusually heavy snow-storms, or extreme severity 

 of the weather, which causes them to retreat to moi-e 

 sheltered situations. There are, however, those who 

 maintain that more males than females are always born, 

 and that the supernumeraries are therefore compelled to 

 seek for mates elsewhere.* 



But be the causes of these partial migrations what 

 they may, the subject cannot but be of interest to the 



iunilying Mouutain Capevcali ; and Steller mentions a similar \'ariety 

 met with near the mouth of the river Ud — which flows into tlie Sea of 

 Okhotsk — and by the Yakutes simikxrly denominated. 



"■' " From experience I have found," says the author of ' Tidskrift fiir 

 Jagare,' " that both Capercali and Black-Cock broods contain more males 

 than females. If such is also the case in Norrland, the migrations in 

 question are of easy explanation. Instinct drives the cocks in excess 

 to seek for hens in other districts, for example, in Nerike and Siider- 

 manland, where, owing to the increasing number of poachers, the cocks 

 are all destroyed as soon as the pairing season commences in the spring. 

 In spite of tills, other males make their appearance there the following 

 year. It is probable that nature in this way provides, from the super- 

 abundance of the northern provinces, a compensation for the bad manage- 

 ment in the soutli ; otherwise these birds, still not so uncommon liere- 

 .'ibduls, would be cxteriHiiiatfd.'' 



