CAPERCAILLIE. 19 



to see so many of the birds alive and looking well. — Saturday, 10th. This morning they 

 ran down to the castle ; then we got down to the mouth of the river : the wind was so 

 that we could not get out; but at seven o'clock they weighed anchor, and now I took 

 my last sight of the Swedish shore. — Sunday, 11th. At twelve o'clock they were out 

 in the main ocean fifty-four miles; my birds were all right, they seemed to feed well. — 

 Monday to Wednesday the birds were well. — Thursday I thought one was dying, but it 

 recovered in a short time. — Friday and Saturday all well. — Sunday, 18th. This day the 

 birds in one coop were very angry with each other; but I put them by themselves — wild 

 and tame will not do well in the same coop. This evening we came close under the 

 Yorkshire coast; we were in sight of the fields and houses. — Monday, 19th. We went 

 on shore at Hull; the birds feed well at present. — Wednesday, 21st. I got all my birds 

 on the steamer quite safe : they are all on the quarter-deck. — Thursday, 22nd. This day 

 was a fine one ; the birds were all well. Nothing happened worth notice on the passage. 



Saturday, 2dth. This morning I set out from Dundee with a cart and mule, with 

 four more, to the place where the birds came ; they were all in the best of health ; I got 

 them up to the inn, fed them, and put the coops all in a settled place, and then got 

 all tilings ready for packing them into my small baskets, that I had brought with me for 

 the purpose from Sweden, and started off with a great many good wishes for our safe 

 arrival. On my arrival at Taymouth Castle I put up my birds as well as I could for 

 the night. — Sunday, 25th. I found the birds as well as I could expect; they all fed 

 well. I must say that there are some of the birds' heads stripped almost of their feathers, 

 striving to get out of the small places where they are cooped up. — Tuesday, 27th. The 

 house intended for the birds being completed, I went and put them all in it; the hens 

 into one end, and the cocks into the other. — Wednesday, 28th. I went to see the 

 birds; the most of them were up at the top of the house, and had eaten of the trees 

 that were there. — Monday, July 3rd. To this time the birds were well. On this day 

 I started by the mail-cart for Inverness, where I arrived (having stopped on the road) 

 on the following Saturday. — -Thursday, 13th. After an excursion to Sir G. Sinclair's I 

 returned, and arrived this day once more at Perth; set out for Dundee; and, on Saturday, 

 loth., got on board the Forfarshire, from which I was put down at Sheringham in safety 

 on Thursday, the 20th." 



In the autumn some of these birds were turned out into the woods, the others being 

 kept in confinement. In 1838 the keeper reared one brace, and two fine broods were 

 produce 1 in the woods. This summer sixteen more hens were imported, making altogether 

 thirteen cocks and twenty-nine hens. The experiment of rearing by hand does not 

 appear to have been very successful, and led to the ingenious and effective method of 

 placing the Capercaillie's eggs, produced in confinement, under the Gray Hen, or female 

 Black Grouse. This plan seems to have answered remarkably well, and numerous fine 



