BUFFED GROUSE 



35 



on the brown leaves so well that it Is hard to tell 

 where the leaves end and the bird begins. Then 

 the dark band crossing the end of her tail breaks 

 the tail form. 



The Grouse is well adapted to the needs of its 

 life in matters of form as well as coloration. As 

 it sj^ends its time on the ground, it has a strong 

 foot, like that of the hen and pheasant, its con- 

 geners, in contrast to the weak perching foot of 

 the air-dwelling Swift. (See Fig. 7, p. 25.) In 

 winter this is still more remarkably modified to 

 suit its habits. The bird does not go south in 

 winter, but has to wade through the snow for its 

 food ; and to meet this necessity its toes, which in 

 summer are bare and slender, in winter are fringed 

 so that they serve admirably for snowshoes. 



The short, rounded, hen-like wings of the 

 Grouse also suit its short, rapid flights ; for the 

 bird does not migrate, and when startled in the 

 woods does little more than shoot out like a bomb 

 and then gradually curve back to earth again, 

 contrasting markedly both in form and habit 

 with the long, slender- winged Swift (see Fig. 19, 

 p. 45), who lives in air and winters in Central 

 America. Though the wino's of the Grouse are 

 not suited to long flights, they are admirably 

 formed for musical instruments. The domestic 

 rooster claps his as he crows ; but the Grouse 

 when moved to song instead of crowing beats 

 the air with his wings till it resounds with his 



