336 TETRAONID^. 



ther, 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 appear- 

 ance an angry Turkey-cock. He begins his play with a 

 call something resembling the word peller, peller, peller ; 

 these sounds he repeats at first at some little intervals ; but 

 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 by drawing in 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 pas- 

 sion. 



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

 in some degree resembles the croak of the Raven, or rather, 

 perhaps, the sound goch, 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, which may be called 

 his playing-grounds. These, however, are often of some 

 little extent. Here, unless very much persecuted, the call 

 of these birds may be heard in the spring for years to- 

 gether. The Capercali does not during his play confine 

 himself to any particular tree, and is seldom to be met 

 with exactly on the same spot for two days in succession. 

 On these playing-grounds several Capercali may occasion- 

 ally be heard playing at the same time. Old male birds 

 will not 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 



