54 TETRAONID.E. 



ing at their legs and feet, and striking with the wings. Mr. 

 Adlerberg mentions such an occurrence. During a number 

 of years, an old Capercali cock had been in the habit of 

 frequenting the estate of Villinge at Wormdo, which, as 

 often as he heard the voice of people in the adjoining wood, 

 had the boldness to station himself on the ground, and, 

 during a continual flapping of his wings, pecked at the 

 legs and feet of those that disturbed his domain. It is also 

 stated that the Capercaillie occasionally has a spel of short 

 duration about Michaelmas. 



The nest is a mere hole scraped in the ground, under 

 a tree or bush, and the eggs are from six to twelve in 

 number : as many as fifteen being on record ; they are of a 

 pale reddish-yellow colour, mottled with brown spots and 

 blotches, and measure about 2-2 in length by 1/5 in breadth. 

 Incubation lasts about a month, and the young are usually 

 hatched early in June : remaining with the mother until the 

 approach of winter. 



The adult male has the beak of a whitish horn colour ; 

 the irides hazel ; over the eye a semilunar patch of naked 

 skin which is bright scarlet; plumage of the head, the 

 neck in front and behind, the back, rump, and upper tail- 

 coverts, minutely freckled with slate-grey on a brownish- 

 black ground ; the feathers of the crown of the head and 

 on the throat rather elongated ; wing- coverts and wings 

 freckled with light brown on a darker brown ground : the 

 depth of the tint depending on the greater age of the bird ; 

 quill-feathers russet ; tail-feathers nearly black, with a few 

 greyish- white spots on the outer webs ; some of the longer 

 and lateral upper tail-coverts tipped with white ; the chest 

 of a fine shining dark green ; breast black, with a few 

 white spots; flanks and under tail-coverts greyish -black, 

 spotted with white ; under wing- coverts white, a small 

 patch appearing on the outside near the shoulder ; thighs 

 grey ; legs covered with hair-like brown feathers which over- 

 hang the toes in winter, but are shorter in summer ; toes 

 and claws naked and black. 



The dimensions of the males are subject to considerable 



