1 CAPERCAILLIE.
remarks by Mr. I>unn wore evoked by special queries which 1 put to liini regarding the possibility
existing of the bulls affected by the pine-beetle being those chosen by the Cnpcrcaillic. As has been seen,
Mr. Dunn is of opinion that the bin) prefers 'clean, healthy, fresh food' and bus 'no taste fur damaged
or decaying vegetation of any kind.' He docs not consider that insects of any kind form part of their
food, but he at the same time states that he ' never examined the crop of a young bird taken out of
the nest.' I have quoted Mr. Dunn's letter fully, as it is perhaps the letter, amongst many others I
have received, which places the damage done in the strongest light. I am still of opinion, however, that
the final results exhibited in certain young trees are just as likely to have been caused by beetles as by the
Capercaillies. If the buds are destroyed, whether by l>ectles internally or by Capercaillies, whether in
hummer or in winter, I believe the results will be the same, viz.—as will bo seen further on—the trees
becoming bushy, branchy, and stunted."
Hero are a couple more extracts:—"A correspondent ia Perthshire writes as follows: 'From the 1st
of November up to the end of May the Capcrcaillie lives principally on Scotch-fir sprigs. Then, from
the 1st of June to the end of October, he lives greatly on insects, digs deep into wits' mounds* in
search of food, and strips the bark of rotten trees in search of worms and beetles.' Fancy hundreds,
yes and thousands, of Cn]>ereailie8 thus employed. Do they do no good f "
"Mr. J. Jl. Hamilton, of Leny, amongst others, informs mo that he has seen abundant evidence or
their work and mischief, and adds, 'on Scutch firs of twenty to thirty years old. My own impression
is that they arc not so injurious to young Scotch-fir plants uf a foot or two in height as Blackgame,
which are very fond of the leading buds in these, and are one of the causes of that tufty appearance in
these that you allude to.' "
It seems that these birds have a better character in the uurth of Europe than in this country, as
Mr. Harvie-Brown gives the following:—" Mr. Robert Collet t, of Christiania, in reply to inquiries I made
of him regarding destruction done to forests in Norway and Sweden, writes: ' In Norway there is not
any trace of destruction to the forests done by the Capcrcaillie. Certainly they do live in winter almost
exclusively on the leaves of the 6r (J'iuui ajdlilfWel hut they only take some shoots here and some
there; for- the must part from old—or at least not young—trees.'"
The following hues by Mr. Harvie,Brown *o exactly describe the damage t witnessed on the hill at
I^gierait in the spring of 1878 that it supplies all deficiencies in the remarks 1 made concerning thu
effect on the trees:—
"Becoming interested in the subject of destruction of forest-plants and trees, I visited, in January
1878, a piece of ground fourteen acres in extent, or thereabouts, situated in the midst of old pine wood
of different ages, and which had been planted six years previously with pine seedlings on the aljovcineulioucd
estate. In one corner, facing the sun and the south and protected on thu north and west
by older growth, the damage which the young trees bad suffered was perhaps most apparent. Upon this
estate Capercaillies arc tolerably abundant, as many as four having been shut in one day by a party
in 1817, and 1 have myself estimated the numbers seen in one day as at least sixteen. Black game am
scarce, and have been so for a number of years; but I have seen Blackgame driven out of the adjoining
covers, and once rising out of the above enclosure. The stunted, bushy, or tufty young trees were
pointed out to me, an.l I clearly saw where the central buds of thu leaders had beta picked out—or
bad dropped off!—resulting in side shoots taking the place of the lenders, and thus deforming the
trees. This was affirmed to be the damage done solely by the Capcrcaillie, which birds wen- stated to
stand upon the ground and pick out the buds from the leading shoots, when the trees wore perhaps
four or five years old, and had been planted perhaps three yeurs. Alter reaching Ibis age the trees are
• Lluol diml- rlijl ui.t'-. .v> l.1 ri[ouJi 1. t .r OIL VI.P/ '•:•!- »!,.n i •• nin- TL I,.' 1: iml • 'J;H. eitr p. 32).
CAPERC AILLIE. 0
consideml safe, as they are too high for the birds to reach the terminal shoot from the ground, and the
young upper branches and leaders are too young and tender to bear tho weight of the bird. Becoming
older still, the terminal shoot lengthens beyond the reach of the Capcrcaillie when it stands upon the
side shoots. It was further stated that the trees, in consequence of this treatment when young, wen?
delayed in their growth, and that many were destroyed and rendered useless."
The foregoing quotation from'The Capcrcaillie in Scot kind ' gives another reason for the deterioration
of the Scotch fir in the Highlands.
"There seems to lie considerable diversity of opinion amongst those inimical to the Capen'aillie us
to the ages of the wood attacked. On the other hand, I have the following opinion from Sir Robert
Menzies, which I quote in full:—'Neither do I blame them for being destructive to the plantations, a
fault that is frequently found with Ibem, and in consequence of which they are shot down. So far as
my experience goes they do not injure newly planted young trees in the same way that Blackgame do,
as they will not go to a plantation where there are no trees they can roost upon; they will not pick
out the tops while standing on the ground, and it is not till the trees in • plantation are somewhat
grown that the Capercaillies settle in it. and then, as they are heavy birds, it is only the side shoots they
can gel at, as the top shoot is not strung enough to carry them. 1 am of opinion that It is no fault of
the Capercaillies that the plantation* of Scotch fir are found not to do well, but that a very bad sort of
that tree is now sold out of Ibe nurseries that will never become trce> ; plants that do not make a lender
like the true Scotch ilr, but, on the contrary, have no stem, and abound in brunches, both above and
lielow. This sort or Scotch Ilr is an importation from the Continent, now of some years' standing, anil
young plants arc now sold as 'true natives' that are seedlings taken from tires originally grown from
this imported seed. When these are not found to be doing well the Capcrcaillie is blamed; but I
think St is the seedsman who is in fault, and more earn should be taken to see that the young Scotchfir
plants are of tho right sort, when the plantation will be found to do well cnutigh, though then' an:
n good many CapereaiHies in it.' "
From my own experience I can say nothing as tn whether the Capercnillio ever attacks the small
plants of the Scotch fir, but I have seen and carefully examined the manner ia which the tn-es, between
five and ten feet in height, have had their leaders cut nr broken and the nppcrtnoM) branches and twigs
bent down, torn to pieces, and trampled on, while large flocks of these birds have been either feeding
or resting and basking in the rays of the sun.
"While exploring various parts of the Northern Highlands in the spring of 1878, I obtained
[icrmissiun from Mr. Duncan, who rented the Kimiainl shootings ni-ar Dunkeld, in Perthshire, from
the Duke of Athol, to obtain some specimens of Capcrcaillie. Leaving Inverness on the 17th of April,
Dunkeld was reached the same evening; but for several days the weather was most unpropitious,
blusterous squalls of wind, rain, and sleet followed one another in rapid succession. On the 20th,
though dull and foggy, there was a slight improvemcut, so a start was made and I drove over to l»gierait,
where Mr. Duncan's men, together vrith the keepers and foresters from several of the adjoining shootings
and a number of beaters, were found waiting to drive the woods for the Capcrcaillie. It was, of course,
almost hopeless that one gun could obtain a shot at liinls when driven in these large woods, where about
fourteen guns are usually required to hold all the pusses. Stalking quietly through the dense cover
would have been my best chance of success, and I had only anticipated being met by two or three
keepers*. .is so many heaters had, however, been brought together, I gave in and submitted to the
usual routine. During the day, which turned out somewhat unsuitable, the uir being thick with mist,
• I ddi not uccrlnin nl I he time WI 1«1 the keeper, und W.ton. -.hen nut mwrrnblcd to nwiit my arrii.,1, were currying RH *>th MM