THE CAPERCAILLIE. 33 



of great importance — they should have also a heap of fine sand to dust them- 

 selves in. 



" They will eat nearly all kinds of grain, particularly wheat, barley, and white 

 peas ; of the last they are particularly fond. 



" They ought to be well provided with boughs of the Scotch fir. They eat heather. 

 Give them occasionally turf ; with green food — as berries, cabbage leaves, &c, — but 

 should their mutings appear washy, desist altogether for a time. 



" Do not over-feed them : fifty birds die from repletion, for one from starvation. 



" If any bird appears to mope or become sickly, remove him directly, more par- 

 ticularly if in a confined place ; the healthy birds will otherwise molest him, and 

 prevent his feeding, &c. &c." 



In Scotland, the last native specimen of the wood grouse was stated, 

 in 1842, "to have been killed in the neigbourhood of Inverness more 

 than sixty years since."* From that period not a single individual 

 was met with, even in the most remote and least frequented of the 

 Highland forests. Of late years, however, many of the Scottish hills 

 having been wisely clad, by their proprietors, with extensive plantations, 

 the species has been introduced from the north of Europe with success, 

 and about Taymouth, more particularly, has been increasing as in the 

 olden time. A very fine male bird (shot there by Prince Albert in the 

 autumn of 1843) which came under my notice in Edinburgh, was as 

 large and fine as any of the numerous specimens from Sweden and 

 Norway, which for many years past I have seen in the shops of the 

 London game dealers. At Lord Orkney's aviary, in connexion with 

 the gamekeeper's house, Glenapp, Ayrshire, I saw a number of these 

 birds in September 1843. A brood of nine was reared there that 

 season, and were all fine healthy birds, almost of adult size. The 

 average number of eggs laid by several hens of this species at Taplow 

 Court, his lordship's seat in Buckinghamshire, was sixteen ; and 

 many young birds were brought out there, but they generally fell 

 victims to a particular disease, the nature of which I do not 

 remember. 



It is interesting to ^ave the opportunity, as visitors to the Zoo- 

 logical Gardens, Regent's Park, London, now have, of witnessing the 

 attitudes which are assumed by the male capercaillie, when he wishes 

 to display himself to the best advantage, and attract the favour of the 

 female. " His neck (to use Mr. Lloyd's words) is stretched out, his 

 tail raised and spread bke a fan, his wings droop, his feathers are 



* Jardine, Brit. Birds, vol. iii. p. 79. 

 VOL. II. D 



