cock. He begins bis play with a call something resembling I
the word peller, peller, peller; these sounds he repeats atl
first at some little intervals; but as he proceeds they I
increase in rapidity, until at last, and after perhaps the I
lapse of a minute. or so, he makes a sort of gulp in hisl
throat, and finishes by drawing in' his breath. During the-j
continuance of this latter process, which only lasts a few|
seconds, the head of the Capercali is thrown up, h is s e s !
are partially closed, and his whole appearance would denote
that he is worked up into an agoUy of passion.
“ On hearing the call of the cock, the hens, whose cry inj
some degree resembles the croak of the Raven, of rather,
perhaps, the sound gock, góckfpock, assemble from all parts
of the surrounding forest. The male bird now. descends
from the eminence on which he was perched to the ground, |
where he and his female friends join company.
“ The Capercali does not play indiscriminately ovei the|
forest, but he has his certain stations, which may be called
his playing-grounds. These, however, are often of some
little .extent." Herey-unless verÿ much persecuted, ±Mv'cali
of these birds may be heard in the spring for years, together. ;
The Capercali does not during his play confine himself st J
any particular tree, and is seldom to be met with exactly on]
the same spot for two days.-in succession. On these,-playing-
grounds several Capercali may occasionally be heard playing]
at the same time.- Old male birds will not permit the
young ones, or those "of-the preceding season, to play.
Should the old birds; however, be killedrthp young ones,‘ira
the course of a day or two, usually open their pipes.
bats, as may be supposed,--not unfrequently take place on
these occasions ; though I do not-recollect having heard
of more than two of these birds being engaged at the same
time.
“ Excepting there be a deep snow, the Capercali is much!
upon the ground in the daytime ; very commonly, however,
he sits on the - pines, * sometimes on the very uppermost
branches. During the nightslke- generally roosts in thej
trees ; butvif the weather :be very cold, he not unfrequently
buries himself in the snow. Considering the large size of
the bird, his flight is n<5t particularly heavy or noisy.” Mr.
Lloyd has not only seen this bird at a very considerable
height in the air, but has known him take a flight of several
miles at a time. “ The Capercali lives to a considerable
age; at least so I infer,” says Mr. Lloyd, “ from the cocks
not attaining to their full growth until their third year or
upward. The old ones may be easily known from their
greater bulk, their eagle-like bill, and the more beautiful
glossiness of their plumage. The size of these birds
appears to ‘depend, in a great degree, on the latitude where
they are' found. In Lapland, for instance, the cocks seldom
exceed nine or ten pounds. In Wermeland, and adjacent
parts, again, I have never heard of their being killed of more
than thirteen pounds; whilst in the more'southern provinces
of Sweden,—and I have three several authorities for my
statement,—they have not unfrequently been met with-
weighing seventeen pounds and upwards, The hen Capercali
usually weighs from five to six pounds.*
“ The Capercali is often domesticated in Sweden; indeed,
both at Uddeholm and Risater, as well as otfe.es?
places, I have known them to be kept for a long period i&f
aviaries built for-the purpose. ' These birds were so per-'
feetly tame as to feed out of the hand. Their food principally
consisted of oats, and of the leaves of the Scotch fir,
Pinus sylvestris, large branches of which were usually introduced
into their cages once or more in the course of the
week. They were also supplied with abundance of native
berries when procurable;- They Were amplyrprbvided at all
times with water; and sand; the latter was of a coarse
quality, and both were changed pretty frequently.”
During the breeding-season the Capercaillie cock, like the
males of most of the polygamous birds, are very fierce, and
severe combats take place between rivals. Instances are
also on reeord in which old males have not hesitated to
attack the passers-by who infringed upon their domain, peck-
* Mr. Harvie-Brown has informed the Editor, that in Scotland the weight of
males rarely reaches 10lbs., and that of females does hot seem to exbo'ed' lbs.