BLACKCOCK SHOOTING IN BOHEMIA 



the cock bird during his courtship. With a long- 

 drawn " Psh ar r," he will leap a foot in the air 

 a proceeding that is repeated five or six times, at 

 intervals. Then, with trailing wings, outstretched 

 neck, and every feather tremulous with excitement, 

 he utters a curious gobble, turning slowly round and 

 round meanwhile. This " gobble " usually lasts 

 some five to ten seconds, and during these few 

 moments the blackcock is, to all appearance, abso- 

 lutely blind and deaf. A gun may be fired off within 

 a few paces of the bird, and he will remain quite 

 unheeding. On a favourite Balz-platz half a dozen 

 cocks will frequently assemble, and a lively rough- 

 and-tumble fight invariably follows the meeting of 

 two rivals. The blackcock does not mate, in the 

 ordinary sense of the word, as, the breeding season 

 once over, he forsakes completely his numerous 

 wives, leaving the hatching and rearing of the 

 young broods entirely to them. 



The events in connection with the shooting of my 

 first blackcock stand out as plainly in my memory 

 to-day as on the morning when they occurred. 

 Thus it will be the slaying of this particular bird 

 that I shall here describe to give some idea of 

 this form of Bohemian sport. 



It was the morning of the 25th of March, 18 

 (never mind how many years ago ! ), when my 

 alarum going off, with a sound that would have 



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