350 APPENDIX. 



called " Sport in Norway," says it is still common in all large forest 

 districts in that country. I believe this bird loves solitude, and 

 surely he would find it, if essential to his existence, in some of the 

 great expanses of coniferous forest which still prevail in most por- 

 tions of Nova Scotia. Next in size and beauty might be selected 

 the black game (T. tetrix) of the wilder portions of the British Isles, 

 and numerous in Norway, where it is stated they not unfrequently 

 cross with the capercailzie. This bird is known to subsist on the 

 buds of the alder and birch, on the berries of the whortleberry, blue- 

 berry, and juniper, and on the bog cranberry, all of which are so 

 abundant in our woods, and of almost identical species. A successful 

 introduction of this bold, handsome grouse, would add great interest 

 to the wild sports on the open barrens. The hazel hen of northern 

 Europe (T. bonasia), reported to be the best fleshed bird of the 

 grouse tribe, is another association of a country in which spruce woods 

 abound. It is exceedingly like our birch partridge in appearance— 

 a little smaller, and wanting the ruff ; like the latter, also, its flesh is 

 white. There are many other northern grouse in both the old and 

 new worlds, but none that I should import as so likely to succeed, 

 and as such valuable acquisitions, as the capercailzie and the blackcock. 



With the circumstance of the introduction and breeding of the 

 English and gold and silver pheasants at Mr. Downs' establishment 

 we are all acquainted ; and a most interesting fact is the well- 

 ascertained capability of the English pheasant to live and find its 

 own subsistence in our woods through a rigorous winter, whilst the 

 latter birds, left out at night by accident, have apparently suffered 

 little inconvenience by roosting in a fir tree, exposed to a strong 

 wind, accompanied by the intense cold of — 16°. Why should not 

 this experiment be continued ? 



It is to be feared that those troops of little songsters with which 

 the fields of England abound, and which have been carefully acclima- 

 tised in Australia for old association sake, would die on the first 

 near approach of the mercury to zero. Those that are imported, 

 comprising thrushes, skylarks, finches, &c., are closely kept within 

 doors. Mr. Downs has two pairs of the European jackdaw, which 

 he hopes will increase in his neighbourhood. These interesting and 

 garrulous little members of the family Corvidse, whose young every 

 English boy covets to obtain and educate to the acquisition of rudi- 

 mentary speech, would find but few ivy-mantled towers or venerable 

 steeples in which to build their nests ; but when Gilbert White 

 informs us that for want of church steeples they will build under 



