The Portland daily press., 1890-04-30
SPORTSMAN AS WELL AS DIPLOMAT.
Mr.. Thomas's Studies of the came
Birds of Sweden.
Two Which Would Thrive In the For
ests OF New England.
The capercaiIzie and Black Game
and Their Habits.
Especial to the Press.l

recreation by studying the habits of the two
most important of the game birds in Sweden
and Norway-the capercailzie and black
game. These birds are a great article of
food with the Scandinavian people, and
throughout the fall and most Of the winter
they are one of the leading forms of game
to be seen in the markets of Stockholm.
Their flesh is excellent upon the table, re-
sembling the prairie chicken of the United
States. Mr.. Thomas thinks that the great
forests of northern Maine would be espe-
cially adapted to these birds, and he has just
made to the State Department long report,
in which he describes the birds and discusses
the question of their introduction into the
United States. Mr.. Thomas says:
"The capercailzie is the largest and noblest
of the grouse family-the family to which
our pinnated grouse (prairie chicken and
ruffied grouse partridge or pheasant belong.
"The full grown male capercailzie weighs
from 10 to IL pounds, and some specimens
considerably exceed this weight. These
birds, in fact, approach very nearly the size
OF the wild turkey of America.
"The home of the capercailzie extends over
wide range of latitude and temperature in
two continents. From the wooded, noun
famous regions of northern Spain and
Greece, northward throughout Europe, this
bird is found in most Of the lofty forest dis
tricts suitable for its abode, and where it has
not been exterminated by man. This grouse
is abundant in the great pine and spruce for
ests OF the Scandinavian peninsula, Finland
and Russia, and the vast forest stretches of
northern Asia
bird. In Sweden and Norway he is found in
large numbers up to and beyond the Arctic
Circle. as far as the 10th parallel of north
latitude. He can endure the severest cold
and deepest SHOWS of the longest winters.
He often avoids the bitterest cold by burrow-
ing into the snow, thus obtaining warmth
and shelter.
'This bird subsists on the coarsest and
commonest food. He feeds upon the buds
and leaves of trees, the needles or leaves of
the pine and spruce, young pine cones,
clover and grass. berries of all sorts, seed
ana grain, and insects of every kind. In
tne depth OF winter, capercailzie has been
known to live for more than a week in the
same pine tree, subsisting entirely upon pine
leaves and young pine cones.
The capercailzie is pre-eminently bird
Oh the pine woods, or pine mixed with birch,
spruce, maple and other growths. He loves
wooded hillsides better than wooded plains,
and he must have fresh water near by-either
brook or pond, or piece of swampy
ground
f'He is local, not a migratory bird, though
lack of food or other causes may
drive him to extensive wanderings. In his
habits he much. resembles our American
rufleI grouse-though in size he Is nearly
ten tiTpes as large-and, / believe, will thrive
anywhere in the United States where our
ruffled grouse called partridge in New Eng
land and pheasant in the Middle States) is
found.
Black Came.
1.-THE black game inhabits nearly the same
regions as the capercailzie. He is equally
hardy, and can withstand the cold and SHOWS
If the most rigorous northern winters. His
weight is about three pounds-about the
iame as our prairie chicken. The male bird
S lustrous, metallic black In color; hence
he name. He has, however, white stripe
n his wings, and his jet black, outward
,urving tail feathers are much priced as a
lat ornament in the Tyrol.
'The black game IS also grouse and he
IS often found in company with the caper-
cailzie, or at least in close proximity. The
black game is also bird OF the woods, but
the birch is pre-eminently his tree, though
uo 10 ulcb Will Ill ullAtQ RTOp u dlluOSJ
every variety. He does not frequent the
deep woods SO much as the capercafiZie; he
loves better the borders of the forest, and
woods and groves with frequent openings.
He is also fond of cranbrry swamps, and in
swampy landsis often found miles away from
any forest.
"His food is much the same as the caper-
cailzie, though not quite so coarse. 1t con-
sists chiefly of the buds and leaves of trees,
berries, and insects. In summer the black
game is very fond of blueberries. raspberries
and cranberries; in winter he. feeds princi-
pally upon the buds of the birch, hazel, al
der, willow, and beech, and when pressed
for food will eat the young green cones of
the pine. This bird seems to be equally fond
of animal food. and readily eats snails,
worms. the larvae Of ants, flies, beetles, etc.
HE is more social bird than the caper-
cailzie, and comes out more into the fields
and clearings, and nearer the abodes of man.
Will They Thrive in the United States?
Hundreds of times when travelling
through the forests of Scandinavia l could
scarcely resist the conviction that l must be
back again in the woods of New England.
Here in Sweden are the same hillsides and
mountains. the same swift. clear brooks
foaming in their rocky beds, and the same
forest trees-the pine and spruce, the birch,
maple and beech, the oak and ash. Here
are the same wild berries, too; and in Swe-
den you may pick wild strawberries, rasp-
berries, blueberries and blackberries, just as
with us in America.
Then take the two grandest and most
useful of the wild animals of Scandinavia
The reindeer of the fields is almost Identical
with our own caribou, and the most expert
naturalists have been unable to distinguish
any substantial difference between the Swe-
dish elk and the moose of America The
fact is that great portion of the United
States-at least one-third, perhaps one-half
is fitted to be the home of the capercailzie
and the black game, for there is a suitable
climate, suitable broken country of hill
suitable forest growth; and this forest
growth, together with its underbrush and
bushes, will not only provide shelter
for these birds, but will furnish them with
all the food they require until they become
as plenty as European sparrows now are in
our streets and public parks. 1t is my firm
conviction that these valuable birds will
thrive throughout all the wooded districts of
New England, New York and Pennsylvania,
and westward through the greater portion of
nesota. They will also find congenial
home along the wooded sloped of the Rocky
Mountains for their entire length, as well as
in all the wooded ravines and declivities Of
the mountain ranges of California, Oregon
and Washington. And not only here. The
fact that these birds are found among the
hills and mountains of Europe as far south
as Greece. Italy and Spain, renders it al
most certain that they will find congenial
climate and nature throughout the entire
ranges of the Alleghenies, the Blue Ridge,
and the Cumberland Mountains, together
with their spurs, side-hills and outlying for
est districts, and may thus easily be acclima-
ted over large sections of the states of Vir-
ginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee,
North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and
Alabama And Besides the districts above
enumerated there are doubtless many other
portions of the United States well fitted to
be the home of these magnificent game
birds.
Their Introduction Into tho United
States.
"1he easiest and cheapest way would be
by obtaining their eggs, sending them to
America, and having them hatched out
there. l am sorry that cannot recommend
this course. Eggs have repeatedly been sent
to Germany and Great Britain, but every
such attempt has turned out complete fail
ure. The only other method is to procure
and ship adult birds. This method has also
been tried, land the results are such as to give
us great announcement
'The capercailZie was originally found in
Scotland His great size and fine flesh
caused him to be keenly hunted, and some
generations ago he was utterly extermin-