40 SHOOTING AT THE PAIKING-GKOUND. 



amusement ; for the cocks, especially the young ones, 

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

 may he even longer. 



The munher of Capercali of the cocks I speak that 

 a man may thus kill at the Lek-stalle within a given time 

 depends greatly on circumstances. If, for instance, the 

 weather he hoisterous, or there be a crust on the sn<>\\. 

 Mhieh in the more northern parts of Scandinavia often 

 remains on the 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 one 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 spring. 

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

 resided in the heart of the Wermeland Finn Forests, that 

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

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

 will give some idea of the havoc that 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-gun is almost universally used 

 for the purpose. 



Though the Capercali is so large a bird as to he 

 thought impossible to miss, it ne\ertlieless not seldom 

 escapes the fowler, even though provided with a shot- 

 gun. Several causes contribute to this. In the fir-t 

 place, il i-, u-nally \ery dark, when one lires ; secondly, it 

 is not al\va\v that an unobstructed vie\v of the bird can be 



