THE ZOOLOGIST 



No. 821.— November, 1909. 



AN OBSERVATIONAL DIARY on the NUPTIAL HABITS 

 of the BLACKCOCK (TETRAO TETRIX) in 

 SCANDINAVIA and ENGLAND. 



By Edmund Selous. 



(Part I. Scandinavia.) 



In the spring of 1907 an opportunity was given me through 

 the kindness of Mr. Biesert, a Swedish gentleman of distinguished 

 political and other attainments, to study the nuptial habits of 

 Blackcocks in the neighbourhood of his wood-pulp manufactory 

 in Warmland. Mr. Biesert being absent from home, on account 

 of his health, and the old friend, for some years a member of his 

 household, with whom I had been going to pass the time, having 

 also to leave, through some unforeseen circumstances, I found 

 myself in the novel position of being alone in a handsome and 

 luxurious residence on the borders of a beautiful lake amidst 

 Scandinavian pine -forests, with servants the most obliging and 

 accommodating, in attendance, to whom, however, I was unable 

 to say the shortest sentence except through the Engelsk-Svensk 

 volume of a large dictionary, thoughtfully left on the table, 

 which, if it were a question, would be answered, again by means 

 of the Svensk-Engelsk portion. On the same basis less the 

 dictionary which was not of portable size, I had also a forester ; 

 but Herr Hoglind, the courteous and talented manager of the 

 adjoining works, was always at hand through the telephone to 

 Zool. 4th ser. vol. XIII.. November, 1909 t 2 I 



