of that veteran sportsman, the late Mr. Lloyd, who had I
volunteered his -services, and by June 24th Larry ” was
hack at Taymouth Castle With thirteen cock and sixteen hen
Capercaillies, which were handed over td the successful scare
of Mr. James Guthrie, Lord Breadalbane’s • head keeper.
More-were brought over in 1838,'both to Taymouth and.
also to East Norfolk, but the latter attempt at introduction
was not crowned with success. By the end of 1839=.there j
appear to ' have been fifty-four adult Capercaillies at Tay-
mouth; in 1841 favourable reports were received of 'the!
hatching of eggs under grey-hens; and by 4863 Guthrie I
estimated the birds on the estate at 2,000.
From Taymouth, the centre of restoration, and all altfng
the Tay valley, as far as Dunkeld, Capercaillies spread, andj
although Perthshire still remains the head-quarters, -Fe^far-1
shire ranks not far behind. In Fifeshire, where the wlfcdsj
are of smaller extent, the species is more local; and ini
Kinross-shire, where there are no extensive 'pine-woods^ it isl
comparatively rare. It is merely a straggler to Clackmannan-
shire, but through'Stirlingshire it-is-advancing, and-;Jwill|
probably extend in time to the southern counties of ^Hcot-l
land by that route. It is needless to enumerate many
other localities in which Capercaillie^ occur, either, as in|
Arran, owing to separate .attempts to emulate the success of|
the first experiment, or as stragglers. They are mucfrpvenj
to migration, especially from forests of an older to thbse of a
younger growth,' which are mor_e .suitable to their required
mentis of food and shelter combine^-’'' SpruCU, Scotch fir and-
larch forests are their favourite haunts, but beyond -these?!
limits they are pressed by the increase of numbers; and they
are now dften found in coverts-of birch and okk, and in autumn,
on the heather-covered hillsides. IlfUturaHf ihey have followed*
the course of the valleys, choosing by preference a southernj
exposure^ the hens preceding^e males by one or two years.i
Mention has already been made of. the attempt to intro-i
duce the Capercaillie into ^Norfolk; and similar ill'-ferfrunej
has .attended several other essays,- The Hon. Gerald Las-
celles is endeavouring to introduce the species into the New!
Forest. In Ireland, Lord Bantry failed to stock the woods-
of the neighbourhood of Glengayiff, and Colonel E. II.
Cooper, of Markree Castle, co, SHgo, has informed H I
Editor that his birds have al-1 perished.
The following description of the habits of the Capercaillie
is taken from Mr. Lloyd’s ‘ Field Sports of the North of
Europe,’ written during his long residence in Sweden
“ The Capêrcali is to be found in most parts of .the Scan-*
dinavian peninsula; indeed as far to the north as the pine-»
tree flourishes, which is very near to the North Cape itself/
These birds are, however, very (scarce in the more southern
of the Swedish provinces.. The favourite haunts of the
Capercali are extensive fir woods. In, coppices, or small
cover, he is seldom or never to be found. Professor Nilsson
observes that, those which breed in the larger forests remain
there all the year round; but those which, on the contrary,
breed on the sides of elevated mountains, or in a more open
part of the country, in the event of deep snow, usually.fall“
down to the lower ground.
“ The principal food of the Capercali, when in a state of
nature, consists of the leaves and tender shoots of the
Scotch fir, Pinus sylvestris. He very rarely feeds upon
those of the spruce, Pinus, dbiesj. He also eats juniper
berries, cranberries, - blueberries, and other berries common
to the northern forests j and occasionally also, in the winter
time, the buds of the birch, &.c. The young Capêrcali feed
principally at first on ants, worms, insects, &c.> ,
“ In the spring of the year, and often when, the ground is.
still deeply covered with snow, the cock stations, himself on
a pine, and^eommences his,love-söng,.or play, as, it is termed
in Sweden, to attract the hens about him. This is usually
from the first dawn of day to sunrise, or from a little: afters
sunset until it is quite dark. The time, however, more or
less, depends upon the- mildness of the weathér, and, the
advanced state of the season. During his play,, the neck of
the Capercali is stretched out, his tail is raised and spread"
like a fan, his wings droop, his feathers are .ruffled.up, and,
in short, he much resembles in appearance an angry Turkey