640 ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 



3rd I saw a cock settle on its usual trusting-place, which it 

 frequented every evening for a long time, and where it 

 drummed later on. 



In consequence of this overwarm March weather the 

 drumming-time of the Capercaillie began unusually early, 

 was several times interrupted by the change of weather, and 

 passed off in a very irregular fashion. On the 22nd, 23rd, 

 and 24th of April I had personal opportunities of observing 

 that almost all the cocks had ceased calling in the well- 

 stocked grounds, and that was generally just the height of 

 the season. 



On February 23rd, during pretty cold weather, I met with 

 the Blackcock ( Tetrao tetrix) in packs of from twenty to 

 thirty, not far from Prague. In the morning these birds 

 were on the fields near the woods, as they usually are in 

 winter, and on several occasions some cocks began to call for 

 a few moments. 



By February 27th the large packs had already broken up, 

 and at daybreak the cocks were drumming at the usual places, 

 as if it were really spring, and from that day up to the present 

 time they have continued to drum uninterruptedly in the best 

 possible way. 



In the immediate neighbourhood of Prague, where there is 

 quite an extraordinary head of Blackgame, I had previously 

 killed some old cocks that had several of the brown feathers 

 of the hen, generally on the back, but sometimes even on the 

 breast ; and this year I had various opportunities of doing so 

 again. It must be remembered that these were not the 

 grey-brown feathers that one finds on cocks of the year, but 

 that they were of a bright brownish yellow, just like those of 

 the hen. The birds, too, were old cocks with well-curved tail- 

 feathers, and were drumming, surrounded by their wives. 

 Almost all these abnormal specimens had some white feathers 

 on the chin ; and this I have hitherto only noticed in the 



