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58 Gaelic Society of Inuerness.
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Family III.— Tetraonid(je.
CAPERCAILLIE, OK COCK OF THE WOOD.
Latin Tetrno urogallus. Gaelic Caper-coille, Ca/inl-coille (Lightfoot),
Auer-coille (Pennant). Welsh Ceilioij coed.
The Cock of the Wood, the king of British game birds, is a
native of the Highlands, and of old was very common there, but
it became extinct, about 176U until it was introduced again from
Norway by the late Marquis of Breadalbane, about thirty years
ago. It is mentioned by Giraldus Cambrensis, Boethius, Bisliop
Lesly, Pennant, and many other old writers. Pennant 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. It is there known by the name of Capercalze.
Auer-calze, and in the old law books Caperkally.
I have seen one specimen at Inverness, a male, killed in the woods
of Mr Chisholme, north of that place." In the Old Statistical
Account the Rev. John Grant says, in 1794— "The last seen in
Scotland was in the woods of Strathglass about 32 years ago."
And in the account of the parish of Kiltarlity we read— "The
Caperkally, or king of the wood, said to be a species of wild
turkey, was formerly a native of this parish, and bred in the woods
of Strathglass ; one of these birds was killed about 50 or 60 years
ago in the church-yard of Kiltarlity." It is also mentioned in the
Statistical Accounts of Glen-Urquhart and Glenmoriston. Having
been reintroduced first into Perthshire, the capercaillie is now
naturally very common there, and that it was also so in olden
times will be seen from the following letter of King James VI.,
after he had become James I. of Britain and gone to England,
where he seems to have "hungered after the llesh-pots "of Egypt"
in the .shape of capercaillie (though to our modern tastes it would
be the last game flesh likely to be hungered after, owing to its
strong flavour of tir, consequent on its living almost entirely on
the young shoots of that tree), as lie wrote to the Earl of Tullibardine,
ancestor of the Duke of Athole, in 1617 :
" James R,— Right trustie and right well-beloved cosen and
counseller, we greet you well. Albeit our knowledge of your
dutiful affection to the good of our service and your country's
credit docth sufficientlie persuade us that you will earnestlie
endeavour yourself to express the same be all the means in your
power ; yet there being some things in that behalf requisite, which
.seem, notwithstanding, of so meane moment, as in that regard
both you and others might neglect the same if our love and care
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