The Fighting of the Blackcock 



the twilight of the dawn along the shores of the sea loch to 

 where I hoped to secure some photographs of righting 

 blackcock. At this hour, in the spring of the year, it is 

 good to be abroad in the wild places. From a little grove 

 a blackbird was striking up his flute-like song. The cheery 

 whistle of oyster catchers and the cry of curlew fell 

 pleasantly on the ear, and far up the hillside a missel thrush 

 was tuning up his notes. 



Arriving at the fighting ground, the keeper was awaiting 

 me, and together we crept up the bed of a burn and 

 succeeded in reaching the "hide " without alarming the 

 fighters, which, as we could hear, had already arrived. 

 Peering cautiously over the top of the hide, I could see 

 many birds fighting hard only a few yards distant. Their 

 curious bubbling note never for one moment ceased, and 

 every now and again, as two individuals struck at each 

 other with their feet, they uttered a sharp hissing sound, 

 reminding one somewhat of the crow of a cock partridge. 

 I think that the more one watches blackcock at their fighting 

 the more one must come to the conclusion that much of 

 this is somewhat half-hearted, and appears to be indulged 

 in mainly with the idea of putting in the time and relieving 

 the birds of their high spirits of an early morning. Of 

 course, combats in earnest do take place and continue 

 until one of the combatants is either killed or else put to 

 flight. 



On the morning of which I write many of the birds 

 spent most of the time in confronting one another, in pairs, 

 in crouching attitudes and with tails spread fanwise, from 

 time to time leaping half-heartedly at each other but never 

 having a real "scrap." 



At length the sun rose, a ball of fire in the eastern sky. 

 His reflection showed clear in the still waters, and the battle- 

 ground of the blackcock stood out distinctly, with the grass 

 encrusted with rime. With the coming of the sun the 

 ardour of the blackcock abated and their thoughts turned 



