8 BRITISH BIRDS. WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



who had first appeared, and who was evidently looked upon as the master of the 

 ceremonies, now advanced into the centre of the arena ; his comb was elevated, 

 his wings drooped, his tail curled over his back, and every feather, even down to 

 his toes, spread out to its fullest extent.* After bowing all round, and apparently 

 being satisfied that no one wished to dispute his title to be considered the greatest 

 swell present, he proceeded to execute a kind of pas seul, which seemed to consist 

 of a kind of double shuffle, hop, skip, and a jump, and was concluded by an 

 almost complete somersault ; others with ruffled plumage then made their way 

 towards the open ground, strutting jauntily forward as if eager for the fray. 

 Though the demeanour of the combatants was certainly threatening, their encounters 

 appeared almost perfectly harmless. 



The fiercest battles are known to take place in early spring. Towards the 

 end of March, a few years back, I came unexpectedly upon a small party of five 

 or six Black-cocks, with a few Grey-hens, on an open patch in a straggling birch 

 plantation that stretched down to the water-side. Two of the cocks were indulging 

 in the most savagely contested fight I ever witnessed ; tumbling over one another, 

 either up or down, they bit and flapped with the greatest fury, till rolling over a 

 slope on the bank they were lost to view. Some of the Grey-hens, who were 

 spectators, had perched themselves on the boughs of the trees, and appeared to 

 regard the combat with the utmost attention." 



The females make their nest usually under the shelter of some low bush or 

 rank grass, and deposit their eggs which are from five to ten in number, and of a 

 yellowish-white colour, varying to pale yellowish-red colour, irregularly spotted. 

 These nests are never found far from water. The 'young are covered with close 

 fine down. The eggs of the Grey-hen may be readily hatched if placed under a 

 common fowl, and the young are easily reared if supplied with natural food, such 

 as ants' eggs, earth worms, canary seed, and coarse oatmeal ; they must also have 

 access to suitable green food.t Raised in this way they become exceedingly tame, 

 and assume their full plumage before they attempt to fly away, being much tamer 

 than young Pheasants reared under the same conditions. 



The Black Grouse is remarkable for hybridizing readily with various allied 

 species. The hybrid with the Capercaillie has already been mentioned. It also 

 breeds with the Red Grouse, and in Sweden with the Willow Grouse, and also 

 with the Hazel Grouse. In this country it not unfrequently crosses with the 



* Mr. Dresser observes that " The notes uttered by the Drumming Cock are called by the Swedes 'Kuttrande ' 

 or cooing, and 'blasaude' or blowing, the one being a peculiar sort of cooing or gobbling, and the other a 

 sort of sharp blowing sound which Mr. Collett describes as a long-drawn houijsch." 



t Young Black Game, reared in captivity, thrive best when they have access to the seeds of rushes, upon 

 which diet they grow rapidly. H.A.M. 



