THE KHATA (Pterocles alchata).
THE KHATA (Pterocles alchata).
THE KHATA (Pterocles alchata).
THE COMMON SAND GROUSE.
The COMMONSANDGROUSE, or ROCKPIGEON OFINDIA(Pterocles exustus), the third species of this group, is principally of a beautiful reddish cream-colour, shading into bright yellow on the face,cheeks, and wing-covers, and overspread with a bright greenish gloss upon the back; the deep reddish-brown lower breast and belly are divided from the upper portion of the plumage by a narrow black line, which commences at the sides of the throat, and passes across the breast; the lower tail-covers and feathered tarsi are cream-colour, the small feathers of the wing-covers have a line of reddish brown at the tip, the primary quills are black, all except the three outermost having the tip and inner web white; the very long, slender, and sharply-pointed centre pair of tail-feathers are of a yellowish shade, and those at the exterior dark brown, spotted and striped with a paler tint. The eye is dark brown, the bare circle that surrounds it lemon-yellow; the beak and toes are lead-grey. This species is thirteen inches long and twenty-three broad, the wing measures seven and a half, and the tail from five and a half to six inches. The markings upon the back of the female are darker than in the plumage of the male bird; the head, nape, and throat are greyish, darkly spotted; the breast band is paler, the belly striped black and brown. The centre tail-feathers are only a trifle longer than the rest.
THE COMMON SAND GROUSE (Pterocles exustus).
THE COMMON SAND GROUSE (Pterocles exustus).
THE COMMON SAND GROUSE (Pterocles exustus).
"This," writes Jerdon, "is the most common and abundant species of Sand Grouse throughout India, being found in every part of the country except the more wooded portions, and never occurring in forest districts. It is therefore quite unknown in Malabar, in the wooded districts of Central India, and in Lower Bengal, and neither this, nor either of the previous species, as far as is known, occur to the eastwards, in Assam, Sylhet, or Burmah. Out of India, it is common through great part of Central and Western Asia and Northern Africa, and, it is stated, has been met with, though rarely, inEurope. This Sand Grouse frequents the bare open plains, whether rocky or otherwise, and is very partial to ploughed lands and bare fallow fields. It feeds chiefly in the morning, and between eight and nine a.m. goes to drink at some river or tank, at which in certain parts of the country thousands assemble, and may then be seen winging their way in larger or smaller parties from all quarters, at a great height, uttering their peculiar, loud, piercing call, which announces their vicinity to the sportsman long before he has seen them. They remain a few minutes at the water's edge, walking about and picking up fragments of sand or gravel, and then fly off as they came. In the hot weather, at all events, if not at all seasons, they drink again about four p.m. When they are seated on bare sand or rock they are most difficult to observe, from the similarity of their colour to that of the ground; sometimes they can be approached with ease near enough to get a good shot, at other times, especially if in large flocks, they are shy and wary. A small flock or single birds can often be approached very close by walking rapidly, not straight, but gradually towards them; in this way I have often walked up to within two or three yards of them. They feed on various hard seeds, especially on those of variousAlysicarpi,Desmodium, &c., as well as on grass, seeds, or grain."
These Sand Grouse breed in the Deccan and Southern India from December to May, and in Central India still later. In some parts of the country, as at Mhow and Saugor, most of them leave the district after breeding in July, and do not return till the end of the rains. The eggs are laid on the bare ground, three or four in number, of cylindrical form, nearly equally thick at both ends, of a greenish stone-colour, thickly spotted with grey and brown. This species, if kept long enough, is very excellent eating, though the flesh is somewhat hard and tough, but with a high game flavour. The young birds, when nearly full-grown, are most excellent.
THE STRIPED SAND GROUSE.
The STRIPEDSANDGROUSE(Pterocles Lichtensteinii) has the mantle and under side of a light greyish yellow, delicately striped with black; the brow and fore part of the head are whitish, and divided in the centre by a black line, that passes from the base of the bill to the top of the head, which, like the region of the cheek and the throat, is marked with dark spots instead of stripes. The mantle is enlivened by numerous bright yellow, crescent-shaped spots, and the upper breast decorated with a broad band of light brownish yellow, through which pass two lines, the one dark brown and the other light grey; the primaries are deep brown on the outer, and light brown on the inner, web; the secondaries brown at the root, with pure white outer web and black tip; the rounded tail—the centre feathers of which do not exceed the rest in length—is reddish yellow, each feather being delicately striped with black. The eye is dark brown, and the skin around it sulphur-yellow. The beak is dull orange; and the fore parts of the foot are copper-colour. This species is ten inches and two-thirds long, and twenty-one inches and a half broad; the wing measures seven and the tail two inches and a half. The female is without the dark line on the brow, and the reddish brown band upon her breast; her plumage is greyish yellow, striped very uniformly with delicate black lines. The Striped Sand Grouse, which closely resembles its congeners in its habits, is, according to Jerdon, common in Arabia, and occurs as a straggler in Scinde and the Punjaub.
PALLAS'S SAND GROUSE.
PALLAS'SSANDGROUSE(Syrrhaptes paradoxus), the representative of a group inhabiting Asia, is distinguished by the long bristle-like point in which the first wing-quill terminates, and by the shortness of its toes; these latter—three in number—are very broad, and so connected by a fold of skin as to present, when seen from beneath, the appearance of a foot-sole without toes. The claws are broad and strong, and the connecting skin covered with horny warts.
This Sand Grouse is fifteen inches long, without including the longest tail-feathers, and twenty-three inches broad, exclusive of the bristle-like wing-quills; the wing measures seven inches, and the tail four inches and a half, or seven inches inclusive of its central tail-feathers. The female is shorter and more slender than her mate. In this species, the top of the head and a line that commences at the eyes and passes over the sides of the throat are dark grey; the region of the head is separated from the greyish yellow breast by a band formed of delicate black and white lines; the upper belly is brownish black, its lower portion and the feathers of the middle tail-covers light grey; the throat, brow, a broad stripe over the eyes, and the back are clay-yellow, the latter striped with a deeper shade. The quills are dark grey, those at the exterior being bordered with black on the outer, and the rest with grey on the inner web; the shoulder-feathers are of a brownish hue, edged with yellow, and tipped with white, and those on the inner wing-covers yellowish brown, tipped with blackish brown; the plumage on the tarsi is yellowish white. The female is without the band upon her breast, and is of a paler shade upon the face and lower belly; her plumage is also rather spotted than striped.
These singular looking birds, respecting whose habits we have only recently received reliable information, inhabit Southern Europe, Africa, and Asia, living in dry sandy deserts, bare or rocky plains, or bushy or woody grounds, and are especially numerous in the neighbourhood of low hills. They are usually met with singly, or in pairs, except when such as occupy the desert plains resort to water, which they do in flocks. When flushed, they rise with a low chuckling call, fly for a short distance, and then alight. If followed, they run along the ground for a few steps, and with difficulty rise again. "Others, however," Dr. Smith tells us, "fly to a great height and suddenly descend, when they approach the water on their feeding grounds; sometimes this descent is not commenced till they are directly over the spot on which they purpose to alight. On such occasions they are obliged to make a circular or semi-circular sweep, before they can reach the desired locality." Their food consists of hard seeds, bulbs, and insects, mixed with fine gravel. The two eggs which are deposited on the bare ground are elliptical in form, about seventeen or eighteen lines long by twelve or thirteen lines broad at their centre, and have a greenish-greyish yellow shell, marked, dotted, and streaked with various shades of greyish brown; in some instances one end of the egg is decorated with a wreath of spots.
The GROUSE TRIBE (Tetraonidæ) constitute the richest group of the entire order. These birds have a compact body, short neck, small head, and short powerful beak, with a thick base. The foot is short, the tarsus moderate; the wing of medium length, and usually much rounded; the tail is generally straight, but in some instances pointed or incised at its extremity. The thick plumage in most species extends over the entire body, even to the toes; some few also exhibit bare patches of brightly-tinted skin. The sexes are nearly alike in colour. The members of this tribe inhabit almost every latitude of the globe.
The GROUSE PROPER (Tetraones) are recognisable by their powerful, compact bodies, short, or moderate-sized wings, and short straight tail; the latter, however, is occasionally long, and either wedge-shaped or forked at its extremity. The bill is strong, thick, short, and much vaulted, and the foot low and powerful, with more or less well-feathered tarsus. The plumage is thick and rich, the brow and nape often exhibit bare patches, covered with small horny plates of a bright red colour. The toes of some species are covered with a short and remarkable horny growth.
PALLAS'S SAND GROUSE, OR SAND GROUSE OF THE STEPPES.
PALLAS'S SAND GROUSE, OR SAND GROUSE OF THE STEPPES.
PALLAS'S SAND GROUSE, OR SAND GROUSE OF THE STEPPES.
These birds are met with throughout the whole of Europe, Asia, and North America, but are quite unknown in Africa. All are, without exception, stationary in their habits, and rarely undertakeexpeditions to any great distance from their native haunts. During the period of incubation they live alone or in pairs, but at other times in parties, which often unite into large flocks. Their food consists of fruits, seeds, the young shoots of plants and trees, insects, and larvæ. Some species are polygamous, but many pair; in the latter case, at least, both males and females assist in rearing the young. Although by no means highly endowed, theTetraoneshave their sense of sight and hearing well developed. They walk quickly, but fly heavily, and with much noise, resorting but rarely to this means of progression, and never rising to any height in the air. The increase of these birds is very rapid, the female laying from eight to sixteen eggs, oval in shape, smooth, yellowish, and spotted with brown. No actual nest is prepared for their reception, a slight hollow in the earth, carelessly lined with some soft material, being all that is required for the purpose, provided that the situation is sufficiently retired to secure the safety of the young. We are told by several Swedish naturalists that not only are these birds subject, like their congeners, to many changes of plumage, but that they cast their claws, and at the same time the horny fringes with which their toes are defended.
THE CAPERCALI.
The CAPERCAILLIE, CAPERCAILZIE, or CAPERCALI(Tetrao urogallus), the largest and finest species of the above group, is of a blackish hue on the crown of the head and throat; the nape is deep grey, marked with undulating black lines; the back pale black, powdered with grey and reddish brown; the tail black, spotted here and there with white; the breast glossy steel-green, and the rest of the under side spotted more or less distinctly with black and white. The eye is brown, the bare skin that surrounds it bright red, and the beak greyish white. This noble bird is from two feet two inches to two feet five inches long, its breadth being from four feet four inches to four feet seven inches; the wing measures from fifteen to seventeen, and the tail from thirteen to fourteen inches.
"The Capercali," says Mr. Lloyd, "is to be found in most parts of the Scandinavian peninsula; indeed, as far to the north as the pine-tree flourishes, that is to say, 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 covers they are seldom or never to be found." Professor Nilsson observes that such as breed in the larger forests remain there all the year round, but those on the contrary that breed on the sides of elevated mountains, or in more open parts of the country, in the event of deep snow, usually descend to the lower grounds.
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 abies). He also eats juniper-berries, blue berries, and other berries common to the northern forests, and also, occasionally in the winter time, the buds of the birch, &c. The young Capercali feed principally at first on ants, worms, and insects.
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 commences his love song, orplay, as it is termed in Sweden, to attract the hens about him. This performance is usually carried on from the first dawn of day to sunrise, or from a little after sunset, until darkness has set in. The time, however, more or less depends upon the mildness of the weather, 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-cock. He begins his play with a call, something resembling the words "Peller, peller, peller." These sounds he repeats at first at some little intervals; but, as he proceeds, they increase in rapidity, until at the last, and after perhaps the lapse of a minute or so, he makes a sort of gulp in his throat, and finishes by drawing in his breath. During the continuance of this latter process, which only lasts afew seconds, the head of the Capercali is thrown up, his eyes are partially closed, and his whole appearance would denote that he is worked up into an agony of passion.
"On hearing the call of the cock, the hens, whose cry in some degree resembles the croak of the Raven, or rather, perhaps, the sound of 'gock, gock, gock,' 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 over the forest, but has certain stations, which may be called his playing grounds. These, however, are often of some little extent; and here, unless very much persecuted, the call of these birds may be heard in the spring, year after year, for years together. The Capercali does not during his play confine himself to any particular tree, and is seldom met with 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 young birds, or those of the preceding season, to play. Should the old birds, however, be killed, the young ones, in the course of a day or two, usually open their pipes. Combats, 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."
"The Capercali hen makes her nest upon the ground, and lays from six to twelve eggs; these are two inches three lines long, by one inch eight lines in breadth, and of a pale reddish yellow-brown, spotted all over with two shades of darker orange-brown. It is said she sits for four weeks; her young keep with her until the approach of winter, but the cocks separate from the mother before the hens. When the females really commence incubation, they are forsaken by the old males, who skulk about among the brushwood while renewing their plumage, the female alone attending to the hatching and rearing of her progeny."
"Except there be deep snow upon the ground," says Mr. Lloyd, "the Capercali is much upon the ground in the daytime; very commonly, however, he sits in the pines, sometimes on the very uppermost branches. During the night he generally roosts in the trees; but if the winter be very cold, he not unfrequently buries himself in the snow. Considering the large size of the bird, his flight is not particularly heavy or noisy; indeed, I have not only seen the Capercali at a very considerable height in the air, but I have known him to take a flight of several miles at a time. During the winter he is in most instances to be seen perched on the very uppermost branches of the pines."
"The Capercali lives to a considerable age; at least, so we infer from the cocks not attaining their full growth until their third year, or upwards. 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, I have reason to suppose, depends in a great degree on the latitude where they are found."
Pennant, in his "British Zoology," speaking of the Capercali, says, "This species is found in no other part of Great Britain than the Highlands of Scotland north of Inverness, and is very rare even in those parts. In our country I have seen one specimen, a male, killed in the woods of Mr. Chisholme, to the north of Inverness."
Of late years successful attempts have been made to restore this bird to Scotland, and in 1836 Mr. Lloyd procured for Sir T. Fowell Buxton forty-nine Capercali, male and female. These he presented to his friend Lord Breadalbane, by whom they were reared with such success that about Taymouth Castle they became as common as the Black Cock, and spread thence over all the more wooded parts of the Highlands as far as Aberdeen, and have grown so tame that a carriage might be driven under the trees on which the hens are perched without their taking the slightest notice.
Although the Capercali is exceedingly shy in its native wilds, it sometimes divests itself of its shyness and approaches people fearlessly; and this, says Mr. Lloyd, in his amusing volume on the"Game Birds of Sweden and Norway," "has occasionally given rise in Sweden to the notion that it is actually 'possessed.'" "About this time last year," Lieutenant Jack relates, "whilst the cottager Anders Pehrsson, of Bengtsbo, in the province of Westmarland, was collecting brushwood in the forest, a Capercali cock, without showing the smallest apprehension, came and alighted on the ground immediately near him. The old belief inTroll-Foglar, or enchanted birds, once so common, and which is still retained by a portion of the peasantry, could not but have its effect on the man from such clear and conclusive evidence. With this crotchet in his head, he therefore hastened to theKlockare, or clerk of the parish, named Pettersson, who was also its oracle, residing at a distance of about an English mile from the spot, and related to him what had happened. Pettersson, who professed not to have the most distant apprehension of theTrolland their emissaries, at once put his gun in order, and, accompanied by Pehrsson, repaired to the spot indicated, which the Capercali had not yet quitted. TheKlockareadvanced to within a few paces of the bird, and pulled the trigger, but the gun 'clicked.' It was cocked a second and a third time, though with the same result. The flint is now hammered, and fire at length produced, though confined to a flash in the pan. The ardour of the sportsman rose to its highest pitch. How provoking! neither pricker nor other instrument to clear the touch-hole. These had been forgotten in the hurry of departure from home. As a substitute a pointed piece of wood is had recourse to; but it breaks short off in the touch-hole, and only makes matters worse. All this while the Capercali remains motionless, a quiet spectator of the enemy's proceedings. TheKlockare, on his part, gazes at the bird, and that with a feeling somewhat akin to awe. He is on the point of sharing his comrade's belief införtrollning, or enchantment. Once more, however, he musters up courage, and, renewing his endeavours, finally succeeds in clearing the touch-hole; fresh priming is then put in the pan, but when all is in readiness, and he is prepared to discharge his piece, the bird, which hitherto had not budged an inch from the spot, suddenly takes wing. Our Nimrod is just about to give vent to his feelings, and pour maledictions on his villainous weapon, when, to his joy, he sees the bird alight on a tree within an easy distance. To place the gun to his shoulder and fire is now the work of a moment, and to the undisguised delight, not to say astonishment, of both our doughty knights of the chase, the old blunderbuss went off with a loud bang, and the Troll-bird gave up the ghost."
"In Scandinavia," continues Mr. Lloyd, "the Capercali is in considerable request for the table. It is more palatable, however, during the autumnal months, when it lives for the most part on berries and the like, than in the winter, when its food consists of pine-leaves, which give it a somewhat resinous flavour. In Wermeland and the adjacent country it is a standing dish at the last-named season at the houses of the gentry, who usually lay in an ample supply of these birds at the setting in of the frost. On the occasion of births, marriages, and deaths with the peasantry, the Capercali is looked upon as a needful addition to the feast. With them it is eaten either simply boiled or first parboiled and afterwards roasted until hard as a stone, in which state it will keep for weeks or months."
The HEATH COCKS (Lyrurus) represent a group of slenderly-formed birds, possessing short, arched, and rounded wings, the third quill of which exceeds the rest in length. The tail, composed of eighteen feathers, is in the female very slightly excised at its extremity, but in the male is so deeply forked as to present somewhat the form of a lyre. The powerful beak is of moderate size; the foot has its exterior and inner toes of equal length, and is completely covered with feathers. The very glossy plumage exhibited by the members of this group may be regarded as their most distinguishing characteristic, the male in particular being remarkable for the resplendent brilliance that adorns his feathers.
THE CAPERCALI (Tetrao urogallus).
THE CAPERCALI (Tetrao urogallus).
THE CAPERCALI (Tetrao urogallus).
THE BLACK COCK.
The BLACKCOCK(Lyrurus tetrix) is principally of a rich black, relieved upon the head, throat, and lower back with a magnificent steel-blue sheen; the wings are enlivened by bands of pure white, the feathers on the lower tail-covers are also of snowy whiteness; the eye is brown, the pupil blueish black, and the beak black; the toes are greyish brown, the eye brown, and a bare patch around the eye bright red. In the female the prevailing colour of the plumage is a mixture of rusty yellow and rusty brown, marked with transverse stripes and spots of black. The length of the male is nearly two feet, and its breadth over three feet; the length of the wing is twelve inches, and that of the tail seven inches. The female is six inches shorter and nine inches narrower than her mate. The young in their first plumage resemble their mother; but in the first moult the black feathers of the young males appear about the sides and breast.
THE BLACK COCK (Lyrurus tetrix).
THE BLACK COCK (Lyrurus tetrix).
THE BLACK COCK (Lyrurus tetrix).
The Black Cock is generally distributed over the European continent, being found in Germany, Holland, France, and, according to Savi, in Italy. In the north, it is met with in Scandinavia, Russia, Siberia, and Lapland. It is said at one time to have been frequent in Ireland, but has long since disappeared. In England it is met with on heathy hills and forest districts, becoming more plentiful toward the borders of Scotland, and is found in considerable abundance in the mountainous and wooded parts of that country. Its favourite haunts are the low slopes of hills, in which brushwood and coppice alternate with heather and fern, and rocky, well-wooded glens. In spring and summer its food consists of leaf-buds, the tops of heather, berries of various plants growing among the heath, insects, larvæ, and sometimes corn and seeds from the neighbouring fields. In winter thissupply is diminished to the tender tops of shoots of birch, fir, and heath, and vaccinia and juniper berries. In spring and summer, these birds live apart in families, but in the autumn and winter remain together in flocks, which, when snow is on the ground, roam from place to place in search of food.
"Unlike the Capercali, which mostly roosts in trees," says Mr. Lloyd, "the Black Cock almost invariably passes the night on the ground, and in the winter, more especially if the cold be intense, it not seldomburies itself in the snow." Nilsson indeed supposes that the bird only makes a hollow in the snow and allows itself to be covered by the falling flakes; but Mr. Lloyd assures us that the bird makes a regular burrow for itself, the depth depending, it is generally believed, on the mildness or severity of the weather. "Scores of times," he says, "when crossing glades and other openings in the forest, where the surface of the snow, to the casual observer, appeared to be as smooth as glass, one or more Black Cocks have suddenly emerged from beneath the snow, almost at my feet, and when expecting every moment others to follow I have carefully looked about me, I never could discover anything beyond the slightest indentation in the snow where the bird had burrowed, the hole itself being filled up by the sides collapsing; and yet perhaps within the next minute half a score of Black Cocks would fly up all around me. That their heads were above the surface previously to their leaving the snow I hold to be impossible, nor can I conceive that even their beaks protruded as others will have it. If air be needful to birds when thus imbedded in the snow, their beak no doubt forms an imperceptible orifice, through which they are enabled to respire."
In addition to his own experiences in the matter, Mr. Lloyd quotes the observations of the amusing though sometimes "marvel-relating" Bishop Oppidam: "In the winter-time the Black Grouse take care of themselves in this manner: they first fill their craw with as much food as it will hold, till it hangs like a bag under their necks, whereby they are provided for something to live on for some time; then they will drop themselves down into the soft snow and do not stay in their first hole, but undermine and burrow in the snow some fathoms from it; and there they make a small opening for their bills, and thus be warm and comfortable."
In the warm days of early spring these birds resort to their pairing ground, for unless they have been disturbed, they frequent the same place year after year. "The places selected at such seasons," says Sir W. Jardine, "are generally elevations, such as the turf enclosure of a former sheep-fold, which has been disused and is now grown over, or some of those beautiful spots of fresh and grassy pasture, which are well known to the inhabitants of a pastoral district. Here, after perhaps many battles have been fought and rivals vanquished, the noble, full-dressed Black Cock takes his stand, commencing at the first dawn of day, and where game is abundant, the hill on every side repeats his humming call; he struts round the spots selected, trailing his wings, inflating his throat and neck, and puffing up the plumage of these parts and the now brilliant wattle above the eyes, raising and expanding his tail and displaying the beautifully contrasting white under tail-covers." (See engraving, p.185.)
"While the Cock is thus parading to and fro," says Mr. Lloyd, "he frequently vaults high into the air, and in doing this 'slews' his body round, so that on alighting again his head is turned in an opposite direction." This season of admiration does not continue long, the females dispersing to seek a place for their eggs, and the males retreating to the shelter of the brushwood or brakes of fern, they are then seldom seen except early in the morning and evening. The nest of the "Grey Hen," as the female is commonly called, is very simple, being merely a hollow in the ground sheltered by a low bush or tuft of grass; the eggs are from six to twelve in number, about two inches long, and of a yellowish white colour, spotted and dotted with yellowish red. The mother has the entire charge of the young, both during and after incubation, and most zealously does she defend her trust, acutely distinguishing friends from foes, as the following anecdotes from theZoologistwill prove:—
"As Mr. W. S. Hurrel was crossing the hill between Carr Bridge and the Spey, on a fishing excursion, with some of his dogs following, one of them pointed, when a Grey Hen offered to do battle in defence of her brood, and flapping her wings like fanners, she with heroic bravery actually beat her canine antagonist and drove him crest-fallen away. Mr. Bass, M.P., and his friends who have taken the shootings around Carr Bridge are in the habit of giving presents to the herd-boys in the districts in order to engage them to preserve the nests, and if possible guard them from external violence. One of the keepers lately accosted one of these herd-boys, and in answer to several queries on the subject of nests, was told by the boy that in guarding the game from molestation he had no difficulty except with one nest, which was situated in a place much frequented by the cattle, and which he said must have been destroyed unless by some means protected. 'But,' continued the boy, 'I have built a little house of stones and turf about it, and that will prevent the cattle getting at it.' 'But,' said the keeper, 'you will certainly scare away the birds.' 'Oh, no,' replied the boy, 'I have left a little door for the hen to get in and out of, and she sits on her eggs as usual;' which the keeper on visiting the place found to be true."
The Black Cock is pursued with great zest in all countries of which it is a native—in Scandinavia various modes of warfare are resorted to.
"A very common plan of starting the Black Cock, in the winter time," says Mr. Lloyd, speaking of his Scandinavian experiences, "is with the aid of abulvan, or artificial decoy bird. This is affixed to the top of a long and slender pole, or of two poles tied together, which is then hoisted a little above the top of a birch-tree, standing on an eminence, that it may be seen from a distance. The fowler then conceals himself in a screen constructed of a few fir-boughs, previously prepared for the purpose. Here he patiently awaits the coming of the birds, and when attracted by thebulvan, or driven towards it by people patrolling the country for the purpose, they alight in the tree on which the decoy is placed, or on those in the immediate vicinity, one or other of them usually meets its doom.
"At times two or three individuals take part in this amusement, and if there be several wooded knolls in the same locality, each may be occupied to advantage by ajägareand hisbulvan, for as these birds, when alarmed at the shot, keep flying from onebulvanto the other, they are pretty sure of being killed sooner or later."
Thesebulvansseem to be very rudely constructed, for if a stuffed Black Cock be not procurable for abulvan, "an imitation one may be made out of an old hat or piece of dark-coloured cloth. Two small patches of red cloth, one on each side of the head, represent the combs over the eyes, and two others of white stuff the white spots on the bird's shoulders. The tail of a veritable Black Cock is usually attached, but should this not be procurable, one made with black cloth, and lined with white, can be substituted in its stead. Legs are not required, the stick to which thebulvanis fastened supplying their place. At times, however, thebulvanis carved out of a piece of wood and afterwards painted." The Black Cock may be domesticated without much trouble, and instances are known of its having bred in captivity. "In the rural districts of Sweden," Mr. Lloyd tells us, "one often sees a caged Black Cock in the houses of the gentry, this bird being greatly admired by every one both for his beauty and for hisspel, or song, which, though anything but musical, is wild and pleasing, and during the pairing season almost continual."
THE HYBRID GROUSE.
The HYBRIDGROUSE(Tetrao medius). In this remarkable bird, a cross between the Black Cock and Capercali, the entire mantle is black, faintly marked with grey spots and zigzag lines; the upper wing is watered with blackish brown and grey; the secondary quills are enlivened by a brown whitishstripe, and edged with the same shade; the slightly-incised tail is black, occasionally with white tips to its feathers. The under side is black, the head and fore part of the neck gleam with a purple light, the sides of the body are powdered with grey and spotted with white; the plumage of the legs is white, and the tarsus blackish grey; the eye is dark brown; and the beak greyish black. The female sometimes resembles that of the Capercali, sometimes the Grey Hen; but it is smaller than either. The length of the male is from twenty-five to twenty-eight inches; that of his mate twenty-one to twenty-two inches.
HYBRID GROUSE (Tetrao medius).
HYBRID GROUSE (Tetrao medius).
HYBRID GROUSE (Tetrao medius).
The Hybrid Grouse are found wherever the Black Cock and Capercali inhabit the same district, and are particularly numerous in Scandinavia. They closely resemble their parents in general habits, although towards the former of these species they frequently exhibit a very pugnacious spirit during the period of incubation, and constantly do great damage to the sportsmen by attacking and disturbing the Grey Hen when brooding.
"The Capercali," says Mr. Lloyd, "occasionally breed with the Black Grouse, and the produce are in Sweden calledRacklehanen. These partake of the leading characters of both species, but their size and colour greatly depend upon whether they have been produced between the Capercalicock and Grey Hen, orvice versâ." Females of these hybrids are much more rare than males, but neither, according to Mr. Lloyd, are common.
HAZEL GROUSE (Bonasia sylvestris).
HAZEL GROUSE (Bonasia sylvestris).
HAZEL GROUSE (Bonasia sylvestris).
Professor Nilsson has given us the following account of one of these birds which he kept in confinement:—"He is more dull than lively. For the most part he will sit for a whole day on his perch in a passive attitude, with his tail hanging down, his feathers somewhat ruffled, and his eyes closed. He is, nevertheless, wild and shy. Towards people who approach his coop he evinces more shyness than malice; but to small animals and birds that come near him, or attempt to purloin his food, he displays an exceedingly angry and spiteful temper. About March, when he puts on his beautiful summer plumage, he is more vicious than usual. Towards the end of that month, or early in April, when the fine weather sets in, he commences hisspel(call). In this, however, he never indulges at an early hour in the morning, but only in the daytime, both before and after noon. His moulting season commences about July, and continues for a long period. His food consists of whortle-berries, and other forest berries when obtainable, but he is also fond of apples chopped up small, cabbages, and various vegetables, as well as of barley and the seeds of the spruce pine."
THE HAZEL GROUSE.
The HAZELGROUSE(Bonasia sylvestris), a third species, represents a group that have their tarsi only partially feathered, and their toes quite bare. These birds have the tail composed of sixteen feathers, and rounded at its extremity, while the plumage on the head is prolonged into a crest. The sexes are very similarly coloured, and of about the same size. The plumage on the mantle is spotted reddish grey and white, most of the feathers being also delicately pencilled with undulating black lines. The reddish grey upper wing is enlivened with white streaks and spots; the throat is spotted brown and white. The quills are greyish brown, dotted with reddish white on the narrow outer web, and the blackish tail-feathers dotted with grey, those in the centre being marked with reddish brown. The eye is rust-brown, the beak black, and the bare part of the foot greyish brown.
The length of the male is from seventeen to eighteen inches, and the breadth from twenty-three to twenty-five inches; the wing measures seven and the tail five inches; the female is about one-fifth or one-sixth smaller than her mate. The habitat of this species extends from the Alps to the extreme north of Europe, and from Scandinavia to Eastern Siberia. Extensive forests of oak, beech, alder, and hazel are the situations it prefers, whilst it almost entirely avoids fir and pine woods; for this reason, it is by no means equally spread over this portion of the European continent, being numerously met with in a large part of Scandinavia, Russia, and Siberia, whilst in Austria, Bavaria, Bohemia, and Silesia it is comparatively rare, and in Northern Germany quite unknown. In certain districts the Hazel Grouse remains within its forest home throughout the entire year, and in others wanders to a short distance in search of berries. These expeditions are made by the male birds alone, and they usually return within a month to their former haunts. Leyen informs us that the retreats chosen by these birds vary with the different seasons of the year—that in May, June, and July they seek the borders of the forest, and in August some retire within the most sheltered nooks of its interior to subsist upon berries, while others wander over the country in the manner above described. In September they again seek the brushwood, and in winter make their home within their favourite forests. In Switzerland they appear to prefer the wooded tracts of the Alps, and are very rarely seen upon the plains that lie beneath. They frequently associate with the Capercali, but often venture higher than that bird. In the more northern parts of Europe, they are also met with in mountainous districts, and in Scandinavia are especially numerous at the foot of the Northern Alps.
The Hazel Grouse is peculiarly quiet and retired in its habits, and has but one mate; its movements upon the ground are rapid, and its power of springing from one point to another when in danger remarkable. Naumann mentions having seen one of these birds leap to a height of fully four feet, in order to snatch some berries from a bush. Whilst running the hen keeps her crest close to her head, whilst that of the male is fully expanded and displayed. Although not much in the habit of having recourse to its wings, the flight of the Hazel Grouse is strong and more rapid than that of the Capercali; in its general character it resembles that of the Partridge.
In Finland, M. Wilhelm von Wright tells us, that the Hazel Hen is found in larger or smaller packs, according to their greater or less abundance in the districts. "It is not for me, of course," says Mr. Lloyd, "to question the accuracy of so good an observer, but singularly enough I myself never heard of more than a single family continuing in company. Sweden, however, is not Finland, and the habits of birds may vary in different countries. The favourite haunts of the Hazel Hen are hilly and wooded districts. In the open country it is never found, but it somewhat varies its ground, according to the season of the year. During summer and autumn one often sees these birds in woods consisting of deciduous trees; but when the leaves begin to fall, they retire to the great pine forests, probably that they may be less exposed to birds of prey.
"Their food in the autumn consists of worms, larvæ, and the various berries with which the Scandinavian forests abound; but in the winter, when the snow lies deep on the ground, they subsist chiefly on the tender tops of the birch and alder, especially the latter. I have then also found in their crops the stalks and tops of the blackberry.
"Even when the Hazel Hen is 'treed,' a practised eye is often required to discover its whereabouts, for it frequently sits so shrouded amongst the branches of an umbrageous pine as not to be readily seen, at least by a casual observer. It is so cunning, moreover, as to regulate its movements by those of the fowler; for whilst he is on the look-out for the bird on one side of the tree, it creeps to the opposite, leaving during its progress little more than its head exposed, and that only for the purpose of keeping the enemy in sight.
"The usual way of shooting the Hazel Hen in Scandinavia is without any dog, and solely with the aid of the so-calledhjerp-pipa, or pipe. This implement, which is much less in size than one's finger, is constructed of wood or metal, or, it may be, the 'wing-bone of a Black Cock.' It produces a soft, whistling sound, that may be varied according to the call of the bird. Such a pipe may be readily manufactured. Often, indeed," continues Mr. Lloyd, "when we have accidentally met with a Hazel Hen has my man with his knife alone made one out of a sapling of a pithy tree, and that in the course of a very few minutes.
"Provided with this implement, the sportsman traverses the forest in silence, and when he has succeeded in flushing the brood he, after a time, begins tolacka, when one or other of the birds is pretty sure to respond, or, it may be, fly directly towards him, and in the end he usually succeeds in shooting the whole or greater part of them."
M. Wilhelm von Wright speaks of the Hazel Hen as an exceedingly amusing bird in an aviary. At first it will not eat, but endeavours to hide itself in a corner; the best way is therefore to supply it with food and water and leave it to itself. Red whortle-berries and juniper-berries are the best for it at first, but afterwards it will eat hempseed, barley, buckwheat, and other grain. To induce it to drink, some berries should be put into the vessel containing water; it will also eat meat, raw or boiled. Dry sand should be placed in a box, as it "dusts" itself daily, if provided with this, especially should the sun shine, it makes a hole with its beak in the sand, which it throws over its body. Afterwards it lies first on one side and then on the other, or on its back, with eyes half closed, and often mounts on some part of the coop and whistles.
THE PRAIRIE HEN, OR PINNATED GROUSE.
The PRAIRIEHEN, or PINNATEDGROUSE(Tetrao cupido, orCupidonia Americana), a North American species very nearly related to the above birds, represents a group recognisable by two long tufts, each composed of about eighteen slender feathers, that hang down on each side of the neck and cover bare patches of skin which indicate the position of bladder-like cavities connected with the windpipe and capable of being inflated. The sexes are similarly coloured, but are readily distinguished by the inferior size of the tufts on the head of the female. The feathers on the mantle are black, striped with pale red and white, while those on the under side are striped light brown and white. The quills are greyish brown, with black shafts, and spotted with red on the outer web; the tail-feathers dark greyish brown, tipped with dirty white; the regions of the cheeks and throat are yellowish; the belly is of a whitish shade, and a line under the eye brown; the long throat-feathers that form the tufts are dark brown on the outer and pale yellowish red on the inner web. The eye is reddish brown, the brow bright scarlet, beak dark horn-grey, and bare parts of the foot and throat orange-yellow. This species is eighteen inches long, and its breadth thirty inches; the wing measures five inches and five-sixths, and the tail four inches and a half.
"When I first removed to Kentucky," says Audubon, "the Pinnated Grouse were so abundant that they were held in no higher estimation as food than the most common flesh, and no hunter of Kentucky deigned to shoot them. They were, in fact, looked upon with more abhorrence than the Crows are at present in Massachusetts and Maine, on account of the mischief they committed among the fruit-trees of the orchards during winter when they fed on their buds, whilst in the spring months they picked up the grain in the fields. Children were employed to drive them away with rattles from morning till night, and also caught them in pens and traps of various kinds. In those days during the winter, the Grouse would enter the farm-yard and feed with the poultry, alight on the houses, or walk in the very streets of the villages. I recollect having caught several in a stable at Henderson, where they followed some Wild Turkeys. In the course of the same winter a friend of mine, who was fond of rifle-shooting, killed upwards of forty in one morning, but picked none of them up; so satiated with Grouse was he as well as every member of his family. My own servants preferred the fattest flitch of bacon to their flesh, and not unfrequently laid them aside as unfit for cooking."