THE WOOD GROUSE OR CAPERCAILZIE. 133 
“ The first importation of these capercailzies ar- 
rived from Sweden about the end of the year 1827, 
or early in January 1828. It consisted of a cock 
and hen, but the hen unfortunately died after reacli- 
ing Montrose Bay. As the male bird alone arrived 
at Braeraar, the experiment was judiciously tried of 
putting a common barn-door fowl into his apartment 
during the spring and summer of 1828. The result 
was, that she laid several eggs, which were placed 
under other hens, but from these eggs oidy a single 
bird was hatched, and when it was first observed it 
was found lying dead. It was, however, an evident 
mule, or hybrid, and shewed such unequivocal marks 
of the capercailzie character as could not be mistaken. 
“ The second importation likewise consisted of a 
cock and hen, and arrived safely in this country in 
January or February 1829. The female began to 
lay in the ensuing April, and laying in general an 
egg every alternate day, she eventually deposited 
about a couple of dozen. She shewed, however, so 
strong a disposition to break and eat them, that she 
required to be narrowly watched at the time of lay- 
ing, for the purpose of having them removed, for 
otherwise she would have destroyed the whole. In 
fact, she did succeed in breaking most of them, hut 
eight were obtained uninjured. These were set 
under a common hen, but only one bird was hatched, 
and it died soon after, in the spring of 1830, the 
hen capercailzie laid eight eggs. Of these she broke 
only one, and, settling in a motherly manner on the 
