Page:Natural History, Birds.djvu/255

242 with whitish, so as to impart a grey hue; the breast is of a fine dark green; the quills chestnut-red; the tail-coverts, which are lengthened, run down in two series, and are tipped with white; the tail itself is black.

The leaves and young shoots of the Scotch fir, the berries of the juniper, cranberries, &c., with worms and insects, constitute the common food of the Capercailzie; in winter he eats also the buds of the birch.

"In the spring," observes Mr. Lloyd, in his Field Sports of the North of Europe, "and often when the ground is still deeply covered with snow, the cock stations himself on a pine, and commences his love-song, 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 after sunset until it is quite dark. 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 word peller, peller, peller; these sounds he repeats at first at some little intervals ; but as he proceeds they increase in rapidity, until at 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 a few 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.