THE WOOD GROUSE OR CAPERCAILZIE. 1 1 1 
" The first importation of these capercailzies ar- 
rived from Sweden about the end of t)ie year 1827, 
or early in Jaiiiiary lS2ii. U consisted of a coek 
and hen, but the hen tinfortnnatety died after reach- 
ing Montrose Bay. As the ma!e bird alone arrived 
ut Braemar, tlie experiment was judicious^ly tried of 
putting a common barn-door fowl into his apartment 
during tlie spring and summer of 1828. The result 
waa, that she laid aeyeral eggs, which were placctl 
under other hen% hut from these eggs only a single 
bird was hatched, and when it was 6rst obserred it 
waft found lyinj^ dead. It was, liowever, an evident 
mulCf or hybrid, at id shewed sucli unequivocal marks 
of the capercailzie character as cotild not be mistaken. 
•* The second importation likewise consisted of a 
cock and hen, and arrived ttafely in this country in 
January or February 1 829. The female began to 
lay in the ensuing April, and laying in general an 
epa; every alteniate day, she eveistually deposited 
about a couple of (Sozen. Site shewed, however, so 
strong a disposition to break and eat tfiem, that ^lie 
require<l to be narrowly watched at the time of lay- 
ing, for tlie purpose of having them removi?d, for 
otherwise she would have destroyed the whole. In 
fact, she did succeed in breaking most of them, but 
eight were obtained iminjured. Theae were set 
under a common hen, hut only one bird was liatcliec!, 
and it died soon after. In liie spring of 1S30, tlie 
hen capercailzie laid eiifht eggs. Of these she broke 
only one, and, settlmg in a motheriy manner on the 
