THIRD SERIES. 
''Some Notes on the Birds 
or WHICH 
PHOTOGRAPHS APPEAR IN 
THE FOREGOING PAGES . . 
BY 
GEORGE GIRDWOOD. 
Capercaillie. — The Capercaillie is much the largest of the British 
came birds, the male attaining to the length of 35 inches, the female 
Deing some 10 inches shorter. The former is a very handsome bird, 
dark slate grey in colour, with each feather finely vermiculated with 
white. It IS possessed of an extremely powerful bill, curved in shape, 
and has a habit of distending the feathers of the throat, the combina- 
tion giving to the bird a somewhat fierce look, which is however alte- 
igether belied by its nature and habits, which much resemble those 
of the black grouse. The colour of the fem.ale is chestnut, barred 
1 with black, the tips of the feathers being touched with timite. This 
1 species was at one time indigenous to Great Britai 1, but became 
I extinct. It was, however, re-introduced_to Scotland some 50 Y'^ts 
ago, and has within late years greatly increased in numbers, and 
■ in its range ; occurring now frequently in counties much farther south 
I than that into which it was re introduced. The fotw of the Caper- 
caillie consists very largely of the needles of the Scots hr, a diet 
which imparts to its flesh a strongly resinous flavour. In disse^ 
ing a mature male, it is not uncommon to find its crop di.stended 
with an enormous mass of these needles, so hard and dry as to 
admiration of the extraordinary digestive power which can reduce 
and assimilate such unlikely material. Ibis bird also feeds on 
berries and acorns, and the young shoots and biids of a variety of 
trees. The Capercaillie is polygamous, and in the brjmding sea^n 
the males are said to indulge in severe fightii^, at which time they 
may be easily approached. The nest of the Ca^rcaillm consists of 
a mere scraping in the ground in which are laid from five to cjKht 
eggs, or in the case of older females from eight to twelve, though as 
many as sixteen eggs have been found— in the last case probably the 
product of two hens. They resemble the eggs of ^e “lack CTOuse, 
being of a dull cream ground colour, spotted with reddish brown, 
and are rather over 1 inches in length. 
Cormorant.— The Cormorant is a resident species, breeding in 
all suitable localities round our coast lin^ except m the north and 
north-west, where it is superseded by the Green Cormorant or bb^g. 
This bird is easily identified. Most of our sea fowl are light in 
colour ; the Cormorant, on the other hand, is a dead black, though 
in the breeding season this is varied by a slight metallic w^sh of 
bluish black, and at this season also both sexes assume a series of 
while nuptial plumes, extending from the crosro down 
the neck, and aUo a large white patch on each thigh. The length 
of the Cormorant is |J inches. 
