COOKERY OF THE GROUSE 271 



black-game and capercailzie in saying that there are 

 two kinds of coq de bruyere, the one about the size of 

 a peacock, the other about the size of a pheasant. 

 All three birds, it is scarcely necessary to say, have, 

 owing to their habitat and food, a much stronger 

 flavour than the red grouse ; and it depends very much 

 on the predominance or moderation of this flavour 

 whether they are intolerable, tolerable, or excellent. 

 Moreover, in the case of two of them at least, English 

 estimation of them is wont to be injuriously affected 

 by the importation of vast numbers of ptarmigan 

 and capercailzie from the North of Europe, without 

 the slightest regard to their fitness for food. I have 

 seen it stated, indeed, that most of the Norwegian 

 capercailzie which are sold in English shops are 

 poached by illegal and unsportsmanlike processes, 

 at the very time when they are most out of season. 

 Ptarmigan soup, however, is quite excellent, and I am 

 not sure that even grouse at its best can give points 

 to a roast greyhen in good condition. But partly 

 because of the strong nature of their food whereof 

 pine and juniper shoots and seeds are the chief parts 

 and partly because they are stronger flying birds, and 

 therefore tougher than the red grouse, black-game 

 require even more keeping than that 'estimable vola- 

 tile.' The whole tribe, indeed, will bear this process 



