144 THE NATURALIST IN NOEWAY. 



the capercaillie the " turpentine bird/' on account of 

 its peculiar flavour. In the early spring the flesh 

 tastes strongly of turpentine, as the bird then feeds 

 principally on the buds and spines of the pine and 

 spruce-fir. 



Nilsson says that several varieties of the capercaillie 

 are found in Sweden. This is no doubt correct, as 

 the severity of the climate plays strange pranks with 

 the colours of the plumage of birds in the north. 

 Nilsson states that a cock-bird of this species has been 

 procured in Sweden, which had the whole of the 

 plumage of an ash-gray colour marked on the head 

 and neck with darker spots. It was obtained in 

 Swedish Lapland, and may be seen in the Upsal 

 Museum, under the name of Tetrao eremites. Another 

 variety, a hen, has the feathers very pale gray, marked 

 with yellow, and white streaks and lines; the under 

 parts white, streaked with red. Another variety, also 

 a hen, is of a dim white colour, streaked here and there 

 with black. This last may be seen in the Zoological 

 Museum at Stockholm. 



The food of the capercaillie consists of the buds 

 and spines of the pine and spruce-fir, the juniper 

 berry, the buds of the alder and birch, hazel-nuts, and 

 even acorns. It breeds in the pine-woods, selecting a 

 spot where water is close at hand. The nest is made 

 in a hole in the moss or heather, and contains from 

 twelve to fifteen eggs, which are of a pale yellow, 

 marked with large and small pale brown spots. The 

 young are fed on ants, larvae, small worms, and cater- 

 pillars. 



The black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) is pretty common 

 all over Norway, as far north as Upper Nordland, in 



