40 SHOOTING AT THE rAIRING-GKOUND, 



amusement ; for the cocks, esjiecially the young ones, 

 continue, as said, to spel until the middle of May, or it 

 may be even longer. 



The number of Capercali — of the cocks I speak — that 

 a man may thus kill at the Lelc-stdUe within a given time 

 depends greatly on cii'cumstances. If, for instance, the 

 Aveather be boisterous, or there be a crust on the snow, 

 which in tlie more northern parts of Scandinavia often 

 remains on tlie ground until late in the spring, it may 

 happen that even the most experienced chasseur will 

 hardly kill a single bird in a week ; but, under favourable 

 circumstances, on the contrary, a good deal may be done. 

 I myself have known more than one man to shoot 

 from five to six of these birds in the course of the morn- 

 ing and evening of the same day, but oaie or two is a 

 more usual number. A peasant in the interior, how- 

 ever, who knows what he is about, and devotes much of 

 his time to the purpose, as many do, will probably kill 

 from fifteen to twenty cocks in the course of the sjjring. 

 I was, indeed, assured by an acquaintance of mine, who 

 resided in the heart of the Wermeland Finn Forests, tliat 

 one particular spring he shot no less than twenty-nine. 

 This, in a country where nearly every one carries a gun, 

 wall give some idea of the havoc tiiat is thus annually 

 made amongst these noble birds. 



In the northern parts of Scandinavia, the Capercali is 

 generally shot at the Lek-stiille with a small pea-rifle ; 

 but in the south the shot-oam is almost universallv used 

 for the purpose. 



Though the Capercali is so large a bird as to be 

 thought impossible to miss, it nevertheless not seldom 

 escapes the fowler, even though provided with a shot- 

 gun. Several causes contribute to this. In the first 

 place, it is usually very dark when one tires ; secondly, it 

 is not alwavs that an unobstructed view of the bird can be 



