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60 Gaelic Society of Inueniess.
try and Iiis own kin for his wives, for, Jacob-like, he returned
with two of them. When the breeding season came on I knew
the nests of both hens ; however, owing to an accident, only one
of them hatched lier brood. Next year I knew of several nests,
and they soon spread all over the strath, and then eastwards
through Gleuisla into Forfarshire, thus recapercailling (if I may
coin the word) Glenisla, where of old they were very common, as
will be seen from an old song (a version of which is given in Gil-
lies' collection, page 136) by James Shaw, laird of Crathinard, in
Glenisla, to his future wife. Miss Machardy, niece to the Earl of
Mar, and heiress of Crathie. One of the inducements he held
out to her to leave her native Braes o' Mar and come and settle
with him in Glenisla was that, though he knew nothing about
sowing barley, yet he would keep her well supplied with all kinds
of game, amongst the rest capercaillies
" Gar am bheil mis eolach mu chur an eorna,
Gu 'n gleidhinn duit feoil nam mang.
Fiadh a tireach, is breac a linne,
'S boc biorach donn nan earn.
An lachag riabhach, geadh glas nan lar-inns'
Is eala 's ciataiche snamh.
Eiin ruadh nan ciar-mhon', mac criosgheal liath-chirc
Is cabaire riabhach coille."
BLACK-COCK.
Latin— T^e^mo tetrix. Gaelic— Coileach-du/jh (male), Liath-chearc
(female). Welsh Ceiliog du.
In the song just quoted about the capercaillie it will be noticed
the l)ard gives the black-cock a very poetical name, " Mac criosgheal
liatli-chii-c "— white-belted son of the grey-hen. The capercaillie
is almost always found in woods, and the grouse on the
open moors, whilst the black cock is the connecting-link, genei*ally
frequenting moors boi'dering on woods. In the old proverb its
fondness for the lieather is noted— " Is duilicli an coileach-dubh a
ghleideadh Ijho'n fhraoch "--it is difficult to keep the black-cock
from the heather. Whilst in many of our old songs he is repre
sented as sitting crowing on the trees at daybreak
—
'' Bu tu sealgair a' choilich
—
'S moch a ghorreadh air craoibh."
Thou art the slayer of the black-cock
That crows at dawn on the tree.
—