THE CAPERCAILLIE 153 



Falcon, not a tenth part of his weight, to strike him down. 

 The male birds begin love-making in April. The pairing- 

 place is usually beneath a pine tree, near a pool or other 

 opening in the forest ; less frequently near a bare rock 

 surrounded by fir trees, whose sweeping branches hang partly 

 over it. Year after year the same place is frequented for 

 the purpose. Just before sunrise and directly after sunset 

 the " spel " or love-song commences, and lasts till the sun has 

 risen above the horizon, or the twilight deepens into night. 

 Perched on his favourite pine he puffs out his plumage, 

 droops his wings, spreads out his broad tail like a fan, stretches 

 out his neck, utters his love-notes, and works himself up to 

 such a pitch of amorous excitement as to be entirely oblivious 

 to danger. His notes are often uttered so loudly as to cause 

 the tree on which he sits to vibrate sensibly to the touch, 

 and may be heard for a long distance through the silent 

 forest. Many of these pairing-places are often close together, 

 and are frequented by all the Capercaillie in the neighbour- 

 hood. Fierce battles are fought for the possession of the 

 females, who keep in the background and watch the strange 

 antics of the males. The young males visit these pairing - 

 stations, but are not allowed to call until they have fought 

 their way into the ranks of the older and more powerful birds. 

 Upon the female Capercaillie devolves all the care of the 

 eggs and young. In the month of May she scrapes a little 

 hollow in the ground amongst the heather and the bilberry 

 wires, near or in the forest, in which she lays from eight to 

 twelve eggs, brownish-buff in ground colour, thickly spotted with 

 reddish-brown and a few larger markings of the same colour. 

 They resemble those of the Black Grouse, but are readily 

 distinguished by their much larger size. Only one brood is 

 reared in the year. In winter the males frequently gather 

 into small parties, and the females and their broods often 

 keep company through the same inclement season. 



