52 TETRAONIM. 



cock. He begins his play with a call something resembling 

 the word peller, peller, peller ; these sounds he repeats at 

 first at some little intervals ; but as he proceeds they 

 increase in rapidity, until at last, and after perhaps the 

 lapse of a minute or so, he makes a sort of gulp in his 

 throat, and finishes by drawing in his breath. During the 

 continuance of this latter process, which only lasts a few 

 seconds, the head of the Capercali is thrown up, his eyes 

 are partially closed, and his whole appearance would denote 

 that he is worked up into an agony of passion. 



" On hearing the call of the cock, the hens, whose cry in 

 some degree resembles the croak of the Kaven, or rather, 

 perhaps, the sound gock, gock, gock, assemble from all parts 

 of the surrounding forest. The male bird now descends 

 from the eminence on which he was perched to the ground, 

 where he and his female friends join company. 



" The Capercali does not play indiscriminately over the 

 forest, but he has his certain stations, which may be called 

 his playing-grounds. These, however, are often of some 

 little extent. Here, unless very much persecuted, the call 

 of these birds may be heard in the spring for j^ears together. 

 The Capercali does not during his play confine himself to 

 any particular tree, and is seldom to be met with exactly on 

 the same spot for two days in succession. On these playing- 

 grounds several Capercali may occasionally be heard playing 

 at the same time. Old male birds will not permit the 

 young ones, or those of the preceding season, to play. 

 Should the old birds, however, be killed, the young ones, in 

 the course of a day or two, usually open their pipes. Com- 

 bats, as may be supposed, not unfrequently take place on 

 these occasions ; though I do not recollect having heard 

 of more than two of these birds being engaged at the same 

 time. 



" Excepting there be a deep snow, the Capercali is much 

 upon the ground in the daytime ; very commonly, however, 

 he sits on the pines, sometimes on the very uppermost 

 branches. During the night he generally roosts in the 

 trees ; but if the weather be very cold, he not unfrequently 



