THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
her brood of seven, leaving five eggs in the nest. It v^^asTound that these 
five eggs were on the point of hatching, and all were brought out under a 
fowl. The hen capercaillie having meanwhile been watched, was soon over- 
hauled, but was accompanied by one chick only ! The remaining six were 
picked up in ditches between the spot where she had been found and her 
nest. She may have been an exceptionally careless mother; or it is pos- 
sible she may have been disturbed by the presence of the watcher, though 
he was careful to keep out of sight. On the other hand, the female, when 
accompanied by her brood, is very courageous, and boldly defends her 
young from any intruder. The chicks are very active and able to fly soon 
after they are hatched, but they are so delicate in the early stages of their 
growth, and so sensitive to damp, that a great many perish. 
The old cock capercaillies are generally to be found in the higher pine- 
woods, except in the pairing-season, when, for a time, they visit the lower 
grounds. Being extremely wary, and endowed with unusually keen sight 
and quick hearing, they are well able to take care of themselves during 
the shooting -season. The hens and young birds are much less timid, and 
are consequently more frequently killed. Like the greyhens, female 
capercaillies should, generally speaking, be spared, unless the species 
is becoming too numerous in any particular locality; in which case they 
can be very easily thinned out. 
The hens will often remain sitting in the larch- and fir-trees until guns 
walking in line through a wood are almost beneath them, or they will rise 
with a great clatter of wings out of the deep blaeberry and bracken, 
whereas the old cocks, if there are any about, make off long before the 
line approaches. The cocks are, however, easily driven by a few 
experienced beaters, and in this way often afford splendid shooting. It 
would be difficult to imagine a finer sight than these grand birds present 
as they sail almost noiselessly overhead. Their apparently leisurely flight 
renders the pace at which they travel most deceptive, and consequently 
in spite of their great size, they are often missed. In winter, capercaillie 
often congregate in flocks, and when driving the woods late in the year 
in places where they are plentiful, it is not an unusual sight to see as many 
as half a dozen birds on the wing at one time. It is at this season, when the 
ground is covered with snow, that most damage is done to the young trees. 
When on the ground the movements of the cock capercaillie are slow 
and dignified, and his carriage is very erect. On the stubble-fields the 
males may often be seen stalking solemnly about among the stooks, while 
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