48 The Ruffed Grouse 



two grouse broods consociating but most of these were not regular 

 associations. In one case two broods stayed togetlier throughout 

 the summer. This seems to have been a true example of brood 

 communism. 



It is interesting to recall the clear distinctness of the brood identi- 

 ties in these associations. Upon one occasion of making a brood 

 count, the observers were confused both by a poor count and an ap- 

 parent extra female. One of the observers climbed a tree to await 

 the regathering of the family (the chicks could not fly yet) while the 

 other observers proceeded on out of sight. Soon one female reap- 

 peared and, finding the danger past, called her brood from the sur- 

 rounding vegetation. Out they trooped in perfect order, assembled 

 their skirmish line, and off they went. A few moments later the 

 second hen returned and she too called out her brood. From the same 

 terrain as the first appeared another whole family with just as un- 

 erring discipline, and they trooped off in another direction. It was 

 clear that, even though only a week old, these chicks knew the call 

 of their own mother as compared to other grouse and responded only 

 to her. On some occasions, usually with birds just after hatching, 

 there does occur some confusion in brood reassembling. 



The groups of grouse that are occasionally found together during 

 the fall are usually the remnants of a family and hence are not gre- 

 garious. But the regrouping of birds in the late fall and winter is the 

 one strong period of communal activity they have. The usual groups 

 run from three to six birds, the commonest numbers being in order 

 from the lowest. Groups of from seven up to twelve or fourteen or 

 even more are occasionally encountered, but not commonly. The 

 period of greatest group activity is late fall to February. In late Feb- 

 ruary and March the groups begin to break up to seek out their 

 spring territories. 



The Annual Wheel of Fortune Is Completed. When last we left the 

 grouse family, one of the young ones had fallen before a hunter's 

 gun. There were left only four, the mother and three offspring, each 

 in a different area of coverts. If we may add an adult male to make 

 the full complement of our original reproductive unit, we have now 

 carried five of the original thirteen into the winter. We have shovm 

 some of the problems faced by them as a result of the change of 

 seasons. Now we may see what happens to these five birds as the 



