26 CAPERCAILLIE. 



that they cannot overturn the pitcher, for they suffer very much if they get wet when 

 young. Dry sand and mould they should never be without; when they get larger, and 

 cabbage-leaves, strawberries, and cranberries, and blue-berries are to be had, they are 

 fond of such food; and when they are full grown, they eat barley and wheat; and in 

 winter they should get young shoots of pine and birch buds. I have seen many people 

 who thought they treated young birds well by giving them juniper berries; but they 

 never resort to this hind of food but in case of necessity." 



The usual method of shooting the Capercaillie by the Scandinavian sportsman is the 

 following: — Mr. Lloyd says, "At this period of the year of which I am now speaking, 

 (the autumn,) I usually shot the Capercaillie in company with my Lapland clog, Brunette. 

 She commonly flushed them from the ground; where, for the purpose of feeding upon 

 berries, etc., they are much during the autumnal months. In this case, if they only' saw 

 the dog, their flight in general was short, and they soon perched in the trees. Here, 

 as Brunette had the eye of an Eagle, and the foot of an Antelope, she was not long in 

 following them. Sometimes, however, these birds were in the pines in the first instance; 

 but as my dog was possessed of an extraordinary fine sense of smelling, she would often 

 wind, or, in other words, scent them from a very long distance. When she found the 

 Capercaillie, she would station herself under the tree where it was sitting, and by keeping 

 up an incessant barking, direct my steps towards the spot. I now advanced with silence 

 and caution; and as it frequently happened that the attention of the bird was much taken 

 up with observing the dog, I was enabled to approach until it was within the range of 

 my rifle, or even of my common gun. In the forest, the Capercaillie does not always 

 present an easy mark when he takes wing from the trees; for, clipping clown from the 

 pines nearly to the ground, as is frecpiently the case, they are often almost out of distance 

 before one can properly take aim. No. 1 or 2 shot may answer very well, at short range, 

 to kill the hens; but for the cocks, the sportsman should be provided with much larger. 



The above plan of shooting the Capercaillie is very commonly adopted throughout 

 Scandinavia; and, during the autumnal months in particular, is occasionally attended with 

 considerable success. But I do not speak from much experience, as, at that period of 

 the year, my time has in general been otherwise occupied. I have, however, killed five 

 of these birds in a single day." 



Mr. Lloyd had never used pointers when searching for Capercaillie, but thinks that 

 if steady, and well under command, they would answer very well early in the season; 

 but he inclines to give the preference to such a dog as his Brunette. Mr. Greiff says, 

 "They (the dogs) ought to be rather small; not to bark violently, but only now and 

 then; to hunt only at a short distance from the sportsman; to have a good and sure 

 scent, and to be easily called in. When the frosty nights commence, the Capercaillie sits 

 better to the cocker than at other times." 



