324 TETRAONID^E. 



Urogallus vulgaris, Cock ofilie Wood, FLEM. Brit. An. p. 46. 



Tetrao urogallus, Wood Grouse, JENYNS, Brit. Vert. p. 1G8. 



Capercailzie, GOULD, Birds of Europe, pt. xvii. 



Tetras auerhan, TEMM. Man. d'Ornith. vol. ii. p. 457. 



TETRAO. Generic Characters. Bill short, strong ; upper mandible convex, and 

 arched from the base to the tip. Nostrils basal, lateral, partly closed by an arched 

 scale, and hidden from view by small closely-set feathers. Space above the eye 

 naked, the skin red with papillae, and fringed. Wings short and rounded in form ; 

 the fifth quill-feather the longest. Tail of sixteen feathers. Feet with the toes 

 naked, three in front united as far as the first joint, and one toe behind, short, 

 the edges of all pectinated. Tarsi feathered to the junction of the toes. 



THE liberal and persevering endeavours of several noble- 

 men to re-establish the Wood Grouse, or Capercaillie, in 

 this country having been successful, to a certain extent, in 

 one district of Scotland, as the details to be here related 

 will show, I have inserted this fine species in its proper 

 place at the head of our Grouse. 



The term Capercaillie is derived from the Gaelic, Capull- 

 coille, which means literally the horse of the wood : this 

 species being in comparison with the others of the genus 

 preeminently large, this distinction is intended to refer to 

 size, as it is usual now to say horse-mackerel, horse-ant, 

 horse-fly, horse-leach, horse-chestnut, and horse-radish. The 

 Latin specific term urogallus, the German auerhan, and the 

 Dutch ouerhan, refer in the same way to size. Urus, is a 

 wild bull, and the names bulldog, bullfinch, bullhead, bull- 

 trout, bullfrog, and bullrush, are applied to species of large 

 size in Zoology and Botany. Pennant says, that north of 

 Inverness the Wood Grouse was also known by the names 

 Caper-calze. and Auer-calze. This bird formerly existed 

 in Ireland, and the last was said to have been killed about 

 the year 1760. The last of them killed in Scotland, and 

 near Inverness, happened later than the year just recorded. 



The most recent, as well as the best, account of the 

 habits of this noble bird that I am acquainted with is fur- 



