The Capercaillie appears to havé an extensive' geographical
range.' North of thé British Islands, M. Necker say® it-is
found in Jutland. Mr. Lloyd- says it is found generallyfover
Scandinavia-as far north as the pine forests'-ext end,c which -is .
almost as far as North Cape; but is becoming'rare in- the
southern parts. I t is found in. Russia and Siberia ;• in LivOès^
nia, in Eolaiid,-and Germany. M. Témmiricbsays.it is found
in Hungary, that it is rare in France, and is never cséêri- in
Holland. M. Vieillet, aÊtCnntinental authority, states that it
is m e t j i th on thé Alps, thé Ryrerineea^m- Aü#&gnre£. in
Dauphigny, in the forests on the mountains? of Ardennes,'in
Upper Alsace, in Lorraine, in Italy, in Greece, and in Tar-,
tary. M. Temminck also, says th a t.it has been known-as far
south as some of the islands of the Grecian Archipelago.
The adult male has thé beak- of a whitish horn ’|l f o u |; the'
irides hazel; over the eye a^semilunar patch of-naked skin
which is bright scarlets plumage of the head, the^nelksin
front and behind, the back, rump, and upper tafhcöverts,
minutely freckled with greyish; white on % brownish J|a.ek ^
ground; the feathers of the crowni-of the head and on the
throat rather elongated; wing-coverts and wings freckTeek-with
light brown on a darker brown ground the deptfrfof thc*tint_
depending on. the greater age-of- th e b ird ; quill-feathers dark
chestnut brown ; tail-feathers» nearly Jfack, with a few greyijh
whittTSpots ; some of the longer and lateral upper-tajfe^ ^ ^rts
tipped with white ; the chest of a fine shining-'dark,,green-;
breast black, with a few white spots flanks and under tail-
coverts greyish black, spotted with white; under wing-coverts
white, a small patch appèaring-on the outside near the Shoulder
; thighs grey * legé feathered with darker grey; toesiand
- claws black. -
The whole length. of1- the male described, tnree feet four
inches. From the carpal joint to the end of thawing sixteen
inches : the first feather two inches shorter than the second,
and the second one inch shorter than the th ird ; the third,
fourth, and fifth feathers, nearly equal in length, but the
third the longest feather in the wing.
The adult female hasfthe beak brown; the irides hazel:
the feathers of the head, neck, back, wings, upper tail-coverts
and tail-feathers dark brown, barred and freckled with yellow
brown; the neck in front and the chest are of a fine yellowish
ch e stm ifth o se of the breast, margined with black, and with
%n- extremècdge of greyish white; the feathers of the flanks,
vent, arid under tail-cdverts with broader edges of white-; legs
Igreyish^brown ;-foek'ahd claws pale brown.
■ Thirl whole length of the feiqale described, twenty-six
ihchM^ Fybm the carpal joint to the end of the wing thirteen
ihclfls&vtf
The young birds of both sexes* in their first plumage resemble
the old-female, the yoiiSg males afterwards obtaining
jl|f' slow degrees theieblours which distinguish that sex-. t
A young jnafofprese'rved'in the' Museum of the Zoological
Society,iSpbiit twenty-two inches in length, and rather larger
in "b.ulkfr^hari a cock Pheasant, has nearly completed his
chahg lp the mesthut coloured feathers on - the chest have
asfumed part of the green colêur peculiar to the males, but
still retain a portion ^ of the ’ chestnut,' and is evidently a
change* of colour without losing the feather, the black crescent
changing to green.