﻿BIEDS. 
  

  

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  are 
  few 
  more 
  strange 
  or 
  interesting 
  sights 
  to 
  be 
  witnessed 
  by 
  

   the 
  field 
  naturalist 
  than 
  what 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  at 
  early 
  morn 
  

   when 
  the 
  Black 
  Cocks 
  meet 
  to 
  prove 
  their 
  power 
  in 
  battle. 
  

   Then 
  they 
  congregate 
  in 
  numbers 
  on 
  some 
  knoll, 
  and 
  there 
  

   fight 
  with 
  such 
  determination 
  that 
  some 
  are 
  scarcely 
  able 
  to 
  

   quit 
  the 
  field, 
  their 
  loud 
  cries 
  the 
  while 
  being 
  easily 
  heard 
  a 
  

   mile 
  distant. 
  Thus 
  they 
  begin 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  love. 
  

  

  Tetrao 
  urogallus, 
  Linn. 
  Capercaillie. 
  

  

  The 
  Capercaillie, 
  once 
  a 
  common 
  species 
  throughout 
  Scot- 
  

   land, 
  became 
  extinct 
  about 
  1762. 
  An 
  attempt 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  

   reinstate 
  the 
  bird 
  at 
  Mar 
  Lodge 
  in 
  1827, 
  and 
  at 
  Inverernan 
  in 
  

   1870, 
  both 
  of 
  which 
  resulted 
  in 
  failure 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  1837 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  birds 
  were 
  brought 
  from 
  Sweden 
  to 
  Taymouth, 
  which 
  

   throve, 
  and 
  from 
  them 
  our 
  present 
  stock 
  has 
  come. 
  Year 
  by 
  

   year 
  they 
  have 
  extended 
  their 
  ground 
  northward, 
  and 
  are 
  now 
  

   resident 
  and 
  breeding 
  freely 
  in 
  " 
  Dee." 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  rather 
  a 
  curious 
  fact 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  extension 
  of 
  

   territory" 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  female 
  that 
  takes 
  the 
  lead. 
  

   This 
  has 
  been 
  particularly 
  evident 
  in 
  the 
  approach 
  to 
  and 
  

   march 
  through 
  " 
  Dee." 
  In 
  every 
  case 
  where 
  the 
  Capercaillie 
  

   has 
  appeared, 
  the 
  female 
  takes 
  up 
  the 
  ground 
  several 
  years 
  

   before 
  a 
  cock 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  ; 
  and 
  one 
  result 
  of 
  that 
  is 
  that, 
  

   upon 
  ground 
  thus 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  female 
  only, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   crosses 
  between 
  her 
  and 
  the 
  Black 
  Cock 
  are 
  obtained. 
  Nor 
  

   does 
  she 
  confine 
  herself 
  to 
  the 
  Black 
  Cock 
  alone, 
  Pheasants 
  

   also 
  she 
  will 
  mate 
  with. 
  A 
  very 
  curious 
  cross 
  of 
  this 
  sort 
  was 
  

   shot 
  by 
  Sir 
  Arthur 
  Grant, 
  Bart., 
  at 
  Monymusk, 
  in 
  the 
  autumn 
  

   of 
  1895. 
  Sir 
  Arthur 
  sent 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  writer, 
  who, 
  after 
  having 
  

   preserved 
  the 
  bird, 
  had 
  it 
  photographed, 
  a 
  reproduction 
  of 
  

   which 
  is 
  here 
  given. 
  This 
  frequency 
  of 
  hybridism 
  on 
  the 
  

   outskirts 
  of 
  Capercaillie 
  territory 
  has 
  been 
  observed 
  in 
  other 
  

   countries. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  Capercaillie 
  near 
  Aberdeen 
  was 
  

   that 
  of 
  a 
  female, 
  which 
  was 
  shot 
  in 
  the 
  wood 
  of 
  Kincorth 
  in 
  

   1879. 
  This 
  specimen 
  is 
  in 
  my 
  hands. 
  In 
  1896 
  a 
  nest 
  with 
  

   six 
  eggs 
  was 
  found 
  at 
  Hazeihead 
  Moor, 
  and 
  in 
  1897 
  another 
  

   with 
  three 
  eggs. 
  

  

  