30 BLACK GROUSE. 



O'Neil, at Claggan, dated January 1st. 1841: — "Twelve years ago, (two years previous 

 to my coming here,) there were four brace of Black Game turned out, a cock and hen 

 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 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." So far C. 

 Redmond. 



The next account is from John Inglis, gamekeeper to Edmund Mc' Donnell, Esq., at 

 Glenarm Park, also in January, 1841. He says — "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 miles apart.) At the beginning of August, 

 1839, I went to Scotland, and got nine young birds at Douglas Castle. Two of them 

 died on the passage ; I turned out the remaining seven on the hill near the place where 

 the old cock used to haunt ; but none of them that I know of were ever seen afterwards. 

 The reason I assign for their not succeeding at this time is, that they were too young, 

 and not fit to manage for themselves without the help of the old bird. In November, 

 1839, I again went to Douglas Castle, got six brace of full-grown birds, namely seven 

 hens and five cocks; I got them all safe over to Glenarm, where I kept them for two 

 days, feeding them on corn till they recovered from the effects of the passage. I turned 

 them out in the park quite strong and healthy to all appearance. Some time after, 

 one of the cocks was found dead in the park; he was quite light and thin of flesh. 

 Another of the cocks was shot about the same time in Glenariff, about eight miles from 

 Glenarm: a few of them kept about the park all winter. Sometimes one would be seen, 

 sometimes two, and in the month of March there were three hens and one cock seen 

 together; but about the beginning of May all the hens disappeared, and none of them 

 have been seen since. One cock kept the park all summer, and was seen lately, which 

 is all that I know of here out of the twelve brought over. A cock was shot about 

 two months ago by a gentleman near Ballycastle, (about twenty miles distant,) which 

 is likely to be another of them. "Where all the hens have gone to I cannot say; I am 

 in hopes that some of them may be alive yet, as they are so much like Grouse, that 



