RUFFED GROUSE 249 



the Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Virginia, is now 

 confined to the island of Martha's Vineyard, where it is a 

 permanent resident. Only a small number of Heath Hens 

 still survive, and the great plains of oak scrub in which 

 they live are so extensive that it is only by chance that one 

 meets them. A guide is necessary, and repeated visits 

 must be made to insure even a chance of success. The male 

 in spring inflates two yellow sacs on each side of the neck 

 and utters a booming sound which can be heard over a mile 

 away. The lack of a broad black band across the base of 

 the tail should distinguish the Heath Hen from the Ruffed 

 Grouse. 



Ruffed Grouse. Bonasa umbellus \ 

 Canadian Ruffed Grouse. Bonasa > Partridge 

 umbellus togata ) 



17.00 



Ad. $ . — Upper parts and wings reddish-brown or gray, 

 streaked with black; large tufts of glossy black feathers on the 

 sides of the neck; tail broad, reddish-brown or gray, crossed by 

 a broad band of black near the tip ; throat buffy ; rest of under 

 parts white, tinged with buffy, and barred, particularly on the 

 sides, with blackish-brown. Ad. 9 • — Similar, but smaller; neck- 

 tufts small or almost wanting. 



Nest, on the ground in woods. Eggs, buffy, usually unmarked, 

 sometimes slightly speckled with brown. 



The Partridge, as it is usually called in the north, is 

 a common permanent resident of New York and New 

 England. It is exclusively a woodland bird, only appear- 

 ing in open country when it has lost its way. It frequents 

 all kinds of forest growth, and is equally at home in 

 swamps and upland. As one walks through the under- 

 growth, a Partridge often starts off directly at one's feet, 

 with a loud whirring of wings. In summer the female 

 frequently tries to divert attention from her young by feign- 

 ing a broken wing, sometimes circling within a few feet of 



