THE ALPINE FAUNA. 337 



the Carpathians and the Alps. In England, where it 

 used to be known by the name Cock of the Wood, it 

 became extinct at some remote period in history, 

 while it lingered on in Scotland and Ireland until 

 the end of the last century. In Scotland it has been 

 reintroduced into several counties, and being pro- 

 tected, it appears to spread from these artificial 

 centres of distribution. 



Like the Black Cock, the Capercaillie is a Siberian 

 migrant, and it is one of the few Siberian species 

 which have reached Ireland, as I have had occasion 

 to mention in dealing with the origin of the British 

 fauna. Two other species of Capercaillie and an 

 allied genus (Falcipennis] are met with in the extreme 

 north-east of Siberia, and six other genera, all be- 

 longing to the grouse family, are confined to 

 North America. We have therefore a very intimate 

 relationship between the grouse of Asia and those of 

 North America, some species even ranging right 

 across the two continents. 



The last genus of this very interesting family is 

 Tetrastes. This grouse is not familiar to British 

 ornithologists, since it is entirely absent from the 

 British Islands. But sportsmen who have tramped 

 over Scandinavia know it well by the name of 

 Hazel Grouse. It is ashy grey in colour, barred and 

 vermiculated with black. The Common Hazel 

 Grouse (Tetrastes bonasia) is found from Northern 

 Spain in the west right through the mountainous 



parts of Central and Northern Europe and Northern 



22 



