46 GAME BIEDS AND SHOOTING-SKETCHES 



me of a game bird nesting otherwise than on terra 

 fir ma. 1 



The plumage of the Capercaillie varies but little. 

 They have but the two changes, one in spring and the other 

 in autumn, the latter being slowly assumed, as in the case 

 of the Grouse. The dress of the young male in first plum- 

 age is interesting (see figure, p. 49). This is cast about the 

 beginning of September and completed by the end of that 

 month ; so that when October arrives he cannot be dis- 

 tinguished from the old cock except by his great disparity 

 in size and the narrowness of the white band on the tail. 

 During the second year this band becomes broader and 

 more definite and the bird puts on about 2 Ibs. in weight ; 

 and in the course of the third year there is still an in- 

 crease in the size of the tail, and the bird generally adds 

 from 2 to 4 Ibs. more to his weight. A young cock of the 

 first year will weigh from 4 to 7 Ibs., and third year and 

 after from 10 to 13 Ibs. I have heard of 14-lb. birds, 

 but have never seen one. No doubt the Russian and 

 Scandinavian birds sometimes scale a little heavier than 

 ours. 



Amongst Capercaillie, as, in fact, amongst most birds, 

 two kinds of plumage occur, namely, a light and a dark ; 

 but the Scotch cock Capers are almost invariably dark. 

 This is of course owing to climatic influences, and the 

 warmth of our climate in winter is sufficient to account for 

 the lack of the rich white colour so noticeable in Con- 

 tinental specimens. The hens, however, have the two 

 kinds of plumage very pronounced, both the dark and the 



1 Since writing the above, I have been informed of two instances in 

 which hen Pheasants have nested in similar situations. 



