CAPERCAILLIE 39 



spring mornings on behalf of their prospective spouses ; 

 and he who would wish to witness the picture of 

 fury and rage let loose has but to rouse himself in the 

 " wee sma' hours " from his comfortable bed and hie him 

 to the battle-ground in time to see the morning sun break- 

 ing on a new day. He may not always be fortunate, but 

 if he goes to a well-known fighting-ground, where birds 

 are numerous, he will not be disappointed or sorry that he 

 came. The onlooker having secreted himself carefully 

 behind some big root or stone wall, an old cock will soon 

 make his appearance, if not already on the ground when 

 he arrives, and will proceed to strut about, showing 

 himself off to his own evident delight at one time 

 elevating his red wattles and expanding the long feathers 

 on his neck till they stand up like bristles on a hog's back, 

 whilst he utters his hoarse croaking call to attract the 

 attention of the hens ; at another making little short digni- 

 fied runs forward with his chest held like an old soldier, and 

 his tail spread and drawn in close round his thighs, emit- 

 ting the same curious loud hissing sound as when caught by 

 the hand. He is in all his glory and feels the proudest 

 creature in the universe till another cock arrives ; then, 

 as two such natures cannot long remain in harmony together 

 without some sort of understanding as to whose claim is 

 the better, they very properly try and solve the problem 

 of the survival of the fittest by promptly going for each 

 other with a will. Then a fight ensues, commencing with 

 a sort of preliminary skirmish like gamecocks ; but as they 

 warm up to their work their mode of attack becomes more 

 blind, and consequently less scientific, catching hold of 

 each other's neck, and ripping out whole mouthfuls of 



