OF THE BEITISH ISLANDS. 41 



caillie in having the head and neck metallic purple and green, more white on the 

 wing- and upper tail-coverts, but with no white on the tail itself, and in having 

 a longer and more graduated tail. The Capercaillie from Kamtschatka, T. 

 kamtschaticus, is said to be intermediate in size, and to have the shoulder feathers 

 so boldly tipped with white as to form a conspicuous band along each side of the 

 back. 



Habits. — This magnificent Grouse is one of the rarest and most local of 

 those birds which are classed under the head of Game. Its haunts are chiefly in 

 the forests of spruce fir and larch, although it frequently wanders from these 

 localities into birch and oak woods, and on to the bare expanses of moor, or the open 

 parts of the forest where the broken ground is strewed with bracken and with 

 various kinds of ground fruit. It is most partial to the large pine woods, more 

 especially those that are broken up into swampy ground in places, and where 

 small lakes occur. In these wild districts where the Capercaillie is present it is 

 often very conspicuous, as the massive creature sits poised on some topmost 

 point of a pine tree, his huge form showing out clearly against the sky. Here 

 it is very wary, and seldom allows a near approach, although when sitting 

 amongst the lower branches, where it considers itself well concealed, the observer 

 is often allowed to walk quite closely past it. The Capercaillie is far more of a 

 tree bird during winter than in summer ; but it always prefers to roost in a tree, 

 and to retire to a tree to sit and digest its meal. It is everywhere a resident, 

 although it is given much to wandering up and down the country side in an aim- 

 less sort of way ; females and young males especially so. The flight of the 

 Capercaillie is very powerful, yet the bird seldom flies far, unless it be to cross 

 over a valley from one wood to another ; nor is it very loud and whirring, except 

 when he rises almost at your feet, or dashes unexpectedly from the branches 

 where he has been watching you intently. The food of the Capercaillie in 

 summer consists of the leaves and buds of various plants and trees, such as the 

 alder, birch, and hazel, the leaves of the fir and larch, and less frequently of the 

 spruce. To this fare is added all the various ground fruits that flourish in or near 

 the haunts of the bird, as well as acorns : insects, especially ants and their eggs, 

 and beetles, are also sought for, as are also worms. In winter the needles of the 

 pine-trees are almost the exclusive food. At all times of the year the male feeds 

 more on these spines or needles than the female, who spends more of her time 

 on the ground. Consequently the flesh of the latter is more palatable than that 

 of the male, whose carcase is frequently too strongly flavoured with turpentine 

 or resin to be pleasant to the taste. Grain is never eaten in great quantities. 

 It is said that during severe weather this bird will bury itself in a snowdrift for 

 shelter. The statements that the Capercaillie is detrimental to the presence of 

 Black Game and Pheasants by its pugnacity and habit of appropriating their 

 nests, do not appear to be borne out by evidence carefully collected for the purpose 



