THE BLACK GROUSE. 37 



ber of black cattle that are kept on the mountains in the north of Ireland, there is 

 scarcely any sprit or rashes allowed to grow that would be of any use either for 

 cover or food. I have seldom seen black game sit when cattle go near them, and a 

 crow flyiug over will make a score of them rise and fly away in the latter end of the 

 season, when they are strong on the wing. With respect to the haunts and breed- 

 ing-ground of young black game, I speak only from my own observations. I am 

 not aware that they haunt the same kind of ground in other parts of the country ; I 

 merely wish to direct your attention to it. I know they are plenty in the island of 

 Arran, but do not know what sort of ground they frequent there. As I mentioned 

 before, none of the hens have been seen since the beginning of the breeding time ; 

 whether they began to hatch and were killed by some vermin, or wandered away in 

 search of a more suitable place for their purpose, is a question I cannot answer. 

 Lord Courtown's keeper was at Douglas Castle shortly after I was, in November 

 1839, and got away six brace to his lordship's estates south of Dublin, but I have 

 not heard how they succeeded." A similar want of success has been attendant on 

 birds brought from Scotland, and turned out at Tollymore Park, county of Down. 

 In April 1846 there was still a fine gray hen there, but no male bird.* 



How different from this is the case at Ballantrae in Ayrshire, just 

 opposite to Glenarm ! When sporting there in 1839 I made the 



(p. 6). The low growing Cariees and rushes (as Scirpus Savii, &c.) are commonly 

 called sprit, in the north of Ireland, by the country people. 



* Carriage and Vitality of Eggs. — The following instance of the carriage of the 

 eggs of the black grouse with perfect safety to a considerable distance, after their 

 having been partly incubated, is interesting. In June 1833 Mr. Arbuthnot Emer- 

 son had brought to him in Belfast, from Stranraer, Wigton-shire, nine eggs taken 

 from the nest of a black grouse. These eggs were placed under a bantam hen, and 

 in one week seven young birds made their appearance. Two of them soon died, but 

 the remaining five lived for about a month, until cold and wet weather set in, when 

 they all died. The eggs were packed in feathers, and brought by the mail-coach 

 from Stranraer to Portpatrick, where they were shipped on board the steam-packet, 

 put into the mail again at Donaghadee, and in about twelve hours after being taken 

 from the nest (at three o'clock a.m.), were placed under the bantam hen. 



On the same subject I have learned from Wm. Sinclaire, Esq., respecting a nest of 

 partridge's eggs once brought to him from a distance of eight miles, that they were 

 quite cold when received ; but being placed under a common hen, the young birds 

 came out in half the usual time ; thus showing that eggs, when half incubated, can be 

 carried to a distance without their vitality being impaired. The same gentleman 

 iuforms me that having once " set " nine eggs of the domestic hen, he by mistake, 

 at the expiration of two instead of three weeks, went to examine them, and lifting 

 each egg shook it violently to ascertain if it were addled. He concluded that all 

 were in this state, and thought no more of them until a week afterwards, when — the 

 twenty-one days having expired — the hen appeared strutting about with seven or 

 eight chickens ; the violent shaking in this instance of eggs two-thirds incubated did 

 not injure the contained cluck. Mr. W. Sinclaire has known his tame pigeons 

 remain off the nest all night when their eggs were half incubated, and though, as in 

 the ca^e of those of the partridge, they felt quite cold, no injury arose from this cir- 

 cumstance, — the young appeared at the expected time. 



