Feather in your bonnet

[Singlemalt]

I understand that these are the tail feathers of black grouse, which are the less common cousins of the the more often harvested red grouse in Scotland. They look similar to the spruce grouse I was familiar with growing up in central Ontario. Pretty much all of the grouse family circumpolar are delicious to eat and are often sought out by people who "set out with dog and gu@" however we are not allowed to discuss such things here.

I hope, it is allowable that I can observe that it would be perfectly natural for rural people, who lived close to the land, who had harvested the bird for the meat to look at the magnificent tail feathers and seek for an opportunity to make use of them as well. It would serve two puposes it would be a signify that the wearer was a successful provider for his family and also a nod of respect to the bird who gave it's life to provide.

It is certainly something that would come naturally to this h@nter and gatherer.

[Jock Scot]

I hope that I am not going to cause too much upset here with contravening some rule or other, but out of interest, Singlemalt has raised an interesting point and I think is relevant to blackcock feathers not being worn as often with kilt attire than perhaps once was.

He is right, if and when a black grouse ended up in the "bag" not only were they eaten , but indeed the whole tail was cut off still attached to a piece of skin, to keep the feathers in proper order, and either kept as a trophy, or sold for the kilt attire market. Sadly these days the black grouse are not as common as they once were-------funnily enough shooting is not the main reason--------for a variety of reasons, loss of habitat, increase of vermin etc., and I am glad to say the decline has been halted and in most places are increasing in numbers. Make no mistake though they were never that common, rare no, scarce no and I am happy to report that in my bit of the highlands we have a healthy stock of black grouse. I understand that these days, most of the black grouse tails used in the kilt attire trade come from Scandinavia.

[Nathan]

It's always good news when stocks rebound and conservation efforts are successful. Thanks for the update on that, Jock. Singlemalt, I remember seeing grouse and partridge in Cape Breton and although I've never had the pleasure, being an avid angler but not a hunter, I understand that you're correct and they make for delicious eating.

[Jock Scot]

Just to fill in the gaps of your knowledge on black grouse, we know that the male of the species is called a black cock and what might not be known, the female is called a grey hen. The far more numerous Red Grouse, think grouse claw kilt pins and brooches, are only to be found within the confines of the British Isles.

[Singlemalt]

It's always good news when stocks rebound and conservation efforts are successful. Thanks for the update on that, Jock. Singlemalt, I remember seeing grouse and partridge in Cape Breton and although I've never had the pleasure, being an avid angler but not a hunter, I understand that you're correct and they make for delicious eating.

Probably most of what you saw in Cape Breton were Ruffed Grouse a somewhat different but even more tasty cousin of the Spruce Grouse. They are true grouse but in most of eastern Canada and New England where they are the most common native game bird they are commonly called partridge but actually that is a different family of birds which are not native to North America. It all gets more confusing as some European birds have been introduced here and now reproduce naturally like pheasants and Grey (Hungarian) Partridge.

[Nathan]

Maybe... People just called them Grouse. I was told pheasants were similar but not the same though I don't recall ever getting a clear view of a pheasant in the wild.

[Nathan]

I should have just asked my mother before starting this thread. Here she is at age 7 when she was in either the MacDonald Girls Pipe Band or the MacDougall Girls Pipe Band in Glace Bay, Cape Breton. She played in both.