THEIR SPEL. Ill 



disposition, he is anything but a welcome guest. When 

 he alights at the Black-Cock Lek he attacks and disperses 

 the congregated males ; and at the Lek of the Capercali 

 he never remains stationary, but keeps flying from tree to 

 tree in chase of the bird that is holding his spel. Hence 

 the saying amongst sportsmen : " There is no order at 

 the Lek so long as the Rackel-Hane is there, and the first 

 endeavour is therefore to shoot him." 



The spel of the Rackel-Hane is described by some as 

 " between that of the Black-Cock and the Capercali cock;" 

 but others, again, and M. Grill among the rest, speak of 

 it very differently, as just shown. The call-note of the 

 Rackel-Hona, which occasionally makes her appearance 

 at the Capercali Lek, has not been fully identified. The 

 Count Corfitz Beckfriis, however, seems fully convinced he 

 heard it on one occasion, and says : " Though weaker 

 than that of the Capercali lien, it is stronger than that of 

 the Grey-Hen, but it is impossible to say which of the 

 two it most resembled." 



