2944 Birds, 



this season it takes five months' voyage from Para to here, and in the 

 fine season seldom less than ten weeks." 



H. W. Bates. 



Notes on Observations in Natural History during a Tour in Norway. 

 By the Rev. Alfred Charles Smith, M.A. 



As I have passed the three summer months of this year (June, July 

 and August) in Norway, and the greater part of that time was devoted 

 to my favorite pursuit, the observation of birds and other branches of 

 the animal kingdom, it may be interesting to some of the readers of 

 the * Zoologist' if I transcribe a few extracts from my journal relating 

 to such birds as are of rare occurrence in this country, and also to the 

 general Natural History of Norway ; first premising that the follow- 

 ing extracts were jotted down in my journal-book at odd times, as 

 opportunity arose ; that they pretend to no elegance of diction, and 

 contain no new theories of my own ; but state merely such plain 

 observations as I made, and such plain facts as came under my notice, 

 during my wanderings in the mighty forests, fjelds and fjords of that 

 most magnificent country. 



The Capercailzie [Tetrao Urogallus) claims the first notice, as he is 

 the great pride of the Norwegian forests. The male is called by the 

 natives ' tiur,' the female (which they also call his ' kune ' or wife) 

 'roi.' They inhabit the thickest parts of the forests, and difficult in- 

 deed is the ground which the sportsman has to traverse in pursuit of 

 them : generally amongst fallen trees and huge masses of rock, and up- 

 torn trunks and tangled brushwood, the capercailzie loves to dwell. 

 The old cock is a wary and cunning bird, and it is almost impossible 

 to get him up by means of beaters and dogs. Like the old black cock, 

 but in proportion to his size still more wary, and as if knowing that his 

 great bulk, as it presents a larger mark for the sportsman, so is more 

 difficult to escape notice among the trees, he will run in advance of 

 you through the forest till he is far beyond your reach. Norwegian 

 and Swedish sportsmen are so well aware of this, that they never at- 

 tempt to pursue them in this fair, open manner, but take them by 

 another method, which appears very strange and unsportsmanlike to 

 an Englishman. Having previously discovered a good locality for ca- 

 percailzies, the sportsman goes out at night, and lies in wait in the 

 forest till early dawn, near the spot where he expects to find his game. 

 At this time the capercailzies, perched on the top of a piue-tree, will 



