36 BLACK GROUSE. 



the flesh, leaves of turnip and rape, and what stray grain it can pick up on the stubbles. 



Mr. Daniel mentions a curious fact in the economy of this bird, which is, that cherries 

 and peas prove fatal to it. He merely mentions it as a fact, and does not say whether 

 it is only an occasional and casual result, or invariably the case; we can hardly think 

 the latter, but would rather be inclined to imagine that in some cases death may have 

 resulted from the bird too greedily feeding on a new and agreeable food. The peas, 

 especially if eaten plentifully and dry, might so enlarge, when damped in the crop, as to 

 destroy life; for in no other respect could we imagine so harmless a vegetable as peas 

 to be unwholesome. Cherries largely eaten are proverbially not very salubrious, and we 

 can more readily conceive them to be injurious; but it cannot be a very common occurrence 

 for wild cherries to be so abundant as to do serious injury to the Black Game. 



In sporting language you are said to 'spring' or 'raise' Grouse; you find a 'brood' of 

 Grouse; you kill a 'brace' or a 'leash' of Black Game; and when a number congregate 

 together they are said to 'pack.' 



The time fixed by law for shooting Black Game is, in England, from the first of 

 September to the first of December; and in Scotland from the twentieth of August to 

 the tenth of December. It is, however, very generally thought by sportsmen that it 

 would be a great advantage, in every way, if a later date were fixed both for commencing 

 this shooting, and also for its termination. It is probable that if the time for shooting 

 Black Game were made the same as for shooting Pheasants, the change would be very 

 advantageous; for the birds would have sufficient time to arrive at tolerable maturity, 

 and the sportsman would have much greater satisfaction in bagging such birds than the 

 wretched "pouts," which it is always a matter of regret to the true sportsman to see shot. 



It is a somewhat curious circumstance that the Black Grouse alone of all our Game 

 Birds, not even excepting the noble Capercaillie, should have been selected as worthy of 

 the honour of being considered Royal Game; and whenever warrants are issued to kill 

 game in the New Forest, the Black Cock is always excepted, along with the Red and 

 Fallow Deer. 



It was at one time thought that where the Black Grouse increased the lied Grouse 

 diminished, but it is now very generally considered that this effect does not take place; 

 and indeed the habits of the birds are sufficiently different to render such a supposition 

 improbable; thus we find the Black Grouse frequenting moist situations and woody covers, 

 while the Red Grouse inhabits the more elevated and dry moors covered alone with heather; 

 their breeding-places too are equally distinct in character. At the commencement of 

 the shooting season the Black Cock will lie like a stone, but later on he becomes very 

 wild, and extremely difficult to approach. 



The situation chosen by the female Black Grouse for her nest is usually in some 

 rough marshy place, well covered with long coarse grass and herbage; on the ground, 



