THE BLACK GROUSE. 35 



Britain may not have been geographically within its latitude, the ex- 

 treme western range of the species, I have not seen any record of its 

 being met with west of Great Britain in any latitude. Since the 

 period mentioned by Pennant this species has been introduced into 

 different parts of Ireland, and being turned out lived occasionally for 

 some years ; but I am not aware of its having bred in any instance. 

 There are in the county of Antrim, just opposite to the favoured haunts 

 of this bird in Scotland, localities which seem in every natural feature 

 well-suited to the black grouse. In two of these places, " Claggan," 

 the property of Viscount O'Neil, and Glenarm deer-park, belonging 

 to Edmund Mc Donnell, Esq., this bird has been introduced : with 

 what success, the following letters from the respective game-keepers, 

 both intelligent men, and the best " authorities " on the subject, will 

 explain. C. Redmond, gamekeeper at Claggan, informed me, on 

 January 1, 1841, as follows: — 



" Twelve years ago (two years previous to my coming here) there were four brace 

 of Hack game turned out, a cock and hen of which I frequently met with outside 

 the plantations in the heath, my dogs setting them like grouse. They were never 

 to be seen together, but kept a mile separate, and each of them always about 

 the same place : the hen I found dead three years ago, and supposed her to have 

 been shot at by a party which Lord O'Neil had here at that time. The cock 

 has left us, or been killed also. I saw a cock that was shot last year at Glenariff near 

 Cushendall (some miles distant), which may have been the same. 



" I was at the letting out of nine black game in 1832 in this place, and a single 

 bird of them I never saw afterwards. The reason I cannot assign ; it might be that 

 they wandered away, which I believe they are prone to do, or were hurt in coming 

 from Scotland, and died." 



John Inglis, gamekeeper at Glenarm Park, thus answered my queries 

 on the subject in January 1841 : — 



" In reply to your note regarding black game, I am sorry I cannot give a very 

 flattering account of them. There has been one black cock here about four years. 

 I have not seen him for the last four or five weeks, but I suppose him to be still 

 alive. I think it is likely he came from Claggan, as I believe Lord O'Neil turned out 

 some there shortly before the bird was seen here. (The places are about fifteen 



was always found to avail itself of the woods, living within them, or on their 

 borders, for a considerable portion of the year. Sir Wm. Jardine, — whose estate in 

 Dumfries-shire is situate in a very fine black game district — has, however, informed 

 me, that wood is not essential at any season, and that these birds are common in loca> 

 lities there in which there is neither underwood nor trees. 



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