781 



CAPEHCALI. 



CAPERCALI. 



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ATB to sit and hatch their young. As soon as this had occurred, and 

 the brood were out, they were removed to the yard, which was also 

 roomy, and so closely fenced that the young ones could not escape 

 through ; and within this fence were hedges and a number of bushes 

 planted. Of the old ones one of the wings was always clipped, to 

 prevent their flying. I have seen several times such broods, both of 

 black game and capercali, eight to twelve young ones belonging to 

 each hen. They were so tame that, like our common hens, they 

 would run forward when corn was thrown to them. They should 

 always have a good supply of sand and fresh water." 



M. Greiff gives the following directions for rearing the young : 



" The eggs, usually so called, to be found in ant-hills and stubble, 

 are to be gathered ; hard boiled eggs are to be chopped and mixed 

 amongst fine moistened barley-meal ; also pea-haulm and trefoil-grass 

 are to be given them for food, and water to drink, which must be 

 placed so that they cannot overturn the pitcher, for they Buffer very 

 much if they get wet when they are young. Dry sand and mould 

 they never should be without. When they get larger, and cabbage- 

 leaves, strawberries, cranberries, and blueberries are to be had, they 

 are fond of such food : and when they are full grown they eat barley 

 and wheat ; and in winter they should get young shoots of pine and 

 birch-buds. I have seen many people who thought they treated 

 young birds well by giving them juniper berries ; but they never 

 resort to this kind of food but in case of necessity." 



The following observations of Professor Nilsson show how well 

 this bird is adapted for the game preserve : 



" When the capercali is reared from the time of being a chicken, 

 he frequently becomes as tame as a domestic fowl, and may be safely 

 left by himself. He however seldom loses his natural boldness, and, 

 like the turkey-cock, will often fly at and peck people. He never 

 becomes so tame and familiar as the black-cock. Even in his wild 

 state the capercali frequently forgets his inherent shyness, and will 

 attack people when approaching his place of resort. Mr. Alderberg 

 mentions such an occurrence. During a number of years an old 

 capercali cock had been in the habit of frequenting the estate of 

 Villinge at Wermdo, who, as often as he heard the voice of people in 

 the adjoining wood, had the boldness to station himself on the ground, 

 and, during a continual flapping of his wings, pecked at the legs and 

 feet of those that disturbed his domain." 



For the details of the experiment made by Lord Fife in the years 

 1828, 1829, 1830, and 1831, we must refer the reader to Mr. Wilson's 

 interesting paper in 'Jameson's Journal ' for July 1832. Suffice it to 

 say that, after some failures, Mr. Wilson, in August, 1831, saw at 

 Braemar five young Capercali which had been hatched there, and 

 were, with their parents, in good health. The intention of the Thane 

 was, " as soon as some healthy broods had been reared in confinement 

 to liberate a few in the old pine woods of Braemar, and thus eventually 

 to stock with the finest of feathered game the noblest of Scottish 

 forests." In 1844 five young birds were hatched in the aviary of the 

 late Lord Derby at Knowsley. 



Temminck makes the food to consist of many sorts of berries, the 

 buds and young shoots of the leaves of trees and of alpine shrubs ; 

 also of insects, but rarely of seeds. Mr. Lloyd says that it feeds 

 principally on the leaves of the Scotch fir (Tal), and very rarely on 

 those of the spruce (Gran) : also on juniper berries, cranberries, 

 blueberries, and others common to the northern forests, and occasi- 

 onally in the winter time on the buds of the birch, &c. The young, 

 he aays, are for the most part sustained at first on ants, worms, 

 insects, &c. 



Temminck says that the nest is formed in high herbage and under 

 bushes, and that the hen lays from 6 to 16 obtuse eggs of a dirty 

 white colour, marked with yellowish spots. Latham states that he is 

 well informed that the nest of one found in Scotland was placed on a 

 Scotch pine : " if so," says Montagu, " it differs from all the genus, 

 who are known to lay their eggs on the bare ground." Mr. Lloyd, 

 who had the best opportunities for ascertaining the fact, observes that 

 the hen makes her nest upon the ground, and lays from 6 to 12 eggs, 

 and that her young keep with her till towards the approach of winter ; 

 but that the cocks separate from the mother before the hens. The 

 same author describes, evidently from personal observation, the ' lek,' 

 or play, of the male in the breeding season, and as it is in itself most 

 interesting, and corrects some errors which have gone abroad on the 

 subject, we make no apology for inserting it : 



" At this period, and often when the ground is still deeply covered 

 with snow, the cock stations himself on a pine and commences his 

 love-song, or play as it is termed in Sweden, to attract the hens about 

 him. This is usually from the first dawn of day to sunrise, or from a 

 little after sunset until it is quite dark. The time however more or 

 less depends upon the mildness of the weather, and the advanced state 

 of the season. 



" During his play the neck of the capercali is stretched out, his tail 

 is raised and spread like a fan, his wings droop, his feathers are ruffled 

 up, and, in short, he much resembles in appearance an angry turkey- 

 cock. He begins his play with a call something resembling ' peller, 

 Cller, peller ; ' these sounds he repeats at first at some little intervals ; 

 t as he proceeds they increase in rapidity until at last, and after 

 perhaps the lapse of a minute or so, he makes a sort of gulp in his 

 throat, and finishes with sucking in as it were his breath. 



" During the continuance of this latter process, which only lasts a 

 few seconds, the head of the capercali is thrown up, his eyes are 

 partially closed and his whole appearance would denote that he is 

 worked up into an agony of passion. At this time his faculties are 

 much absorbed, and it is not difficult to approach him : many indeed, 

 and among the rest Mr. Nilsson, assert that the capercali can then 

 neither see nor hear; and that he is not aware of the report or flash 

 of a gun, even if fired immediately near to him. To this assertion I 

 cannot agree, for though it is true that if the capercali has not been 

 much disturbed previously he is not easily frightened during the last 

 notes, if so it may be termed, of his play ; should the contrary be the 

 case, he is constantly on the watch, and I have reason to know that 

 even at that time, if noise be made, or that a person exposes himself 

 incautiously, he takes alarm and immediately flies. 



" The play of the capercali is not loud, and should there be wind 

 stirring in the trees at the time, it cannot be heard at any considerable 

 distance. Indeed during the calmest and most favourable weather it 

 is not audible at more than two or three hundred paces. 



" On hearing the call of the cock, the hens, whose cry in some 

 degree resembles the croak of the raven, or rather perhaps the sounds 

 ' gock, gock, gock,' assemble from all parts of the surrounding forest. 

 The male bird now descends from the eminence on which he was 

 perched to the ground, where he and his female friends join company. 

 The capercali does not play indiscriminately over the forest, but he 

 has his certain stations, ' Tjador-lek,' which may perhaps be rendered 

 his playing grounds. These however are often of some little extent. 

 Here, unless very much persecuted, the song of these birds may be 

 heard in the spring for years together. The capercali does not during 

 his play confine himself to any particular tree, as Mr. Nilsson asserts 

 to be the case, for on the contrary it is seldom he is to be met with 

 exactly on the same spot for two days in succession. 



" On these lek several capercali may occasionally be heard playing 

 at the same time ; Mr. Greiff, in his quaint way, observes ' it then 

 goes gloriously." But so long as the old male birds are alive they will 

 not, it is said, permit the young ones or those of the preceding season 

 to play. Should the old birds however be killed, the young ones in 

 the course of a day or two usually open their pipes. Combats, as it 

 may be supposed, not unfrequently take place on these occasions, 

 though I do not recollect having heard of more than two of those 

 birds being engaged at the same time. 



" Though altogether contrary to law, it is now that the greatest 

 slaughter is committed among the capercali ; for any lump of a fellow 

 who has strength to draw a trigger may, with a little instruction, 

 manage to knock them down. But as the plan of shooting these 

 noble birds during their play is something curious I shall do my best 

 to describe it. 



" It being first ascertained where the lek is situated, which is com- 

 monly known to the peasants and others in the vicinity, the sportsman 

 (if so he may be called) proceeds to the spot, and listens in profound 

 silence until he hears the call of the cock. So long however as the 

 bird only repeats his commencing sound he must, if he be at all near 

 to him, remain stationary ; but the instant the capercali comes to the 

 wind-up, the gulp, 4c., during which, as I have said, his faculties of 

 both seeing and hearing are in a degree absorbed, then he may 

 advance a little. But this note lasts so short a time that the sportsman 

 is seldom able to take more than three or four steps before it ceases, 

 for the instant that is the case he must again halt, and if in an exposed 

 situation remain fixed like a statue. This is absolutely necessary, 

 for during his play, excepting when making the gulp, &c., the capercali 

 is exceedingly watchful, and easily takes the alarm. If all remain 

 quiet, the bird usually goes on again immediately with his first strain ; 

 and when he once more comes to the final note, the sportsman advances 

 as before, and so on, until he gets within range of shot. 



" To become a proficient at this sport requires a good deal of prac- 

 tice. In the first place a person must know how to take advantage of 

 the ground when advancing upon the capercali, for, if full daylight, 

 this is hardly practicable (whatever may be said to the contrary) in 

 exposed situations; and in the next, that he may not move forward 

 excepting upon the note which is so I'at.-il to that bird. This is likely 

 enough to happen if it be an old cock that has been previously 

 exposed to shots, for he often runs on, as I have repeatedly heard 

 him, with 'peller, peller, peller,' until one supposes he is just coming 

 to the gulp, when he suddenly makes a full stop. If therefore a 

 person was then incautiously to advance he would in all probability 

 instantly take to flight. 



" At the lek the cocks most commonly fall the sacrifice ; for the 

 hens, as well from their colour more resembling the foliage of the 

 trees as from the sportsman having larger and better game in view, 

 usually escape. This is a fortunate circumstance ; as were a propor- 

 tionate slaughter to take place among the latter as the former, the 

 breed in many parts of the Scandinavian peninsula would soon be 

 exterminated. 



" Though this plan of shooting the capercali during the spring is 

 common throughout most parts of Scandinavia, I am told that in 

 Norrland and Wasterbotten, from whence Stockholm is furnished 

 with its principal supplies of game, that destructive practice is not 

 generally adopted. This arises from the people in those districts 

 having sense enough to know that if they kill too many of the cocks 



