The Capercaillie 



wandering far from the woods, where its call of "peller, 

 peller, peller," may be continually heard during the spring 

 months, and sometimes again in autumn. 



Like most game birds, it is polygamous, and an old cock 

 is very jealous of his hens, savagely attacking other males 

 that come near him. When courting he performs various 

 evolutions, drooping his wings and erecting his tail, and 

 calling out vigorously at the same time. Their food consists 

 chiefly of various seeds and berries, and in their season the 

 tender shoots of the Scotch fir. 



The nest is merely a " scrape " in the ground, generally 

 at the foot of a tree, and the eggs, some twelve in number, 

 are reddish brown spotted and blotched, with darker shades 

 of the same colour. The young feed largely on insects and 

 worms, and are especially fond of ants. The male takes 

 no part in the incubation or tending of the young. 



The male is very dark grey on the upper parts, breast 

 glossy green, and the remainder of the under parts black. 

 The feathers of the chin and throat are elongated. Length 

 36 in. ; wing 1 6 in. 



The female, who is much smaller, is brownish all over, 

 mottled and barred with buff and white. Length about 

 26 in. 



THE BLACK GROUSE 



Tetrao tetrix, Linnaeus 



On the moors and woods of Scotland this is a common 

 species, and it is also found locally in a few places in the 



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