6 THE CAPERCAILLIE. 



To begin at the beginning. Some people assert that to 

 spell it with a z is the best Scotch, but I am of opinion that, 

 there being no y nor z in Gaelic, and the word being distinctly 

 of Gaelic origin, it is best to adhere in form as closely as 

 possible to that origin. But granting, in the meantime, the 

 admission of y or z, then I think if the z be used it ought to 

 be silent, as in many other Highland, or, I should say Scotch, 

 names taken originally from the Gaelic, such as Menzies, 

 Monzie, Colquhalzie (pronounced Co-why-lie), Eohalzion, 

 Dalrulzion, Dalziell (also still spelt Dalyell), and others, 

 mostly proper names. 1 Because, in old printing, a z was con- 

 stantly used instead of a y, in proof of which, in the old Scots 

 Acts of Parliament (see James VI., 1621, Act xxx.), the word 

 " years" is spelt "zeiris" In the self-same Act occur the words 

 " caperJcailzeis " and " quailzies" This originated doubtless in 

 a printer's error in reading the MS., or if not an error, then 

 because y and z in old type were generally used as the same 



writers, with, other slight variations v. Sibbald, ' Scot. Illust.,' p. 16. Forster, 

 (op. cit.) Elaine, (op. cit.) MacGillivray, Capercailzie, (h) Burt 'Letters 

 from N. of Scotland,' 1754, vol. ii. p. 173, uses Cobber-kely, pointing to a 

 derivation from Cabar as will be seen further on, or resulting from com- 

 plications of local Gaelic dialects, (i) Capercaleg is used by Sir Robert 

 Gordon in his ' History of the Earldom of Sutherland,' (1630, published in 

 1813). (k) Sibbald, ' Scot. Illust.,' (Tables 14, 18), Latinizes the word thus 

 Capricalca, following no doubt an earlier author, Robert Edward, ('A Descrip- 

 tion of Angus, ,' translated from the original Latin of Edward, minister of 

 Murroes : Dundee, printed by T. Colvill, 1793), the word in the original 

 being Capricalcis (ablative plural). For further notice of works quoted, see 

 further on, p. 13. A very full list of the names it has received, and of the 

 spellings used, will be found in the 'Penny Cyclopaedia,' in a very good 

 article on the species, vol. vi., p. 260. Another variation Capercayllie is 

 found in a ' Treatise on the Game Laws of Scotland,' by A. Gregor, 1837, 

 p. 9. 



1 There are other words which possess the z unpronounced, such as the 

 law-terms assoilzie, spuilzie, tailzie, and others. Jamieson's Dictionary, 

 however, does not give the z in tailzie but ' taile, tailye, an entail ; tailyie, 

 a piece of meat.' The fact of Jamieson omitting the z and substituting y, 

 points to his knowledge that the z became inserted owing to the scarcity of 

 the letter y in former and older founts of type. For the derivation of Monzie, 

 see ' Old Stat. Acct. of Scotland,' vol. xv. (1795), p. 241. 



