12 GAME BIEDS AND SHOOTING-SKETCHES 



The Capercaillie is a bird whose powers of flight must 

 by no means be underrated, for many a man who is a good 

 shot has gone out with the idea " that any idiot could hit 

 a bird that size/' but has returned with the fixed intention 

 of treating the cock of the woods in future with the proper 

 amount of respect which is due to him. 



Owing to a cock Caper in the Natural History Museum 

 at South Kensington having been stuffed with its legs 

 drawn up to its thighs, there was for some time a discussion 

 amongst naturalists as to what was really the correct 

 position in which the legs were carried during flight. 

 Some naturalists affirmed that this attitude was correct, 

 and others that the legs were straightened out behind 

 under the tail, after the manner of Ducks, Waders, etc. 

 At any rate, the unfortunate specimen, which is most 

 admirably set up, was subjected to a considerable amount 

 of pulling about before it was finally settled that the legs 

 should be kept drawn up. Had the bird been rising 

 instead of sailing, as it is represented to be, I should have 

 thought this position quite correct ; but, in my humble 

 opinion, they should be stretched out ; for after carefully 

 watching Caper for a considerable time, I have been led to 

 the conclusion that they in no way differ from Pheasants 

 and Partridges in this respect, namely, that the feet are 

 drawn up close to the body until the bird has attained the 

 necessary elevation at which to pursue his flight, and then 

 stretched out. One day I spent entirely with a man 

 standing beside me to watch as minutely as possible the 

 portion of the body from which the legs seemed to fall 

 when the bird was shot, and it was a long time before any 

 opinion could be formed at all, for very good reasons 



